application programming interface
noun
variants:
or less commonly application program interface
Definition of application programming interface
computing
: a set of rules that allows programmers to develop software for a particular operating system without having to be completely familiar with that operating system
To fix this problem, trustbusters have installed a provision forcing Microsoft to disclose more information about its so-called application programming interfaces, or APIs. — Business Week
—abbreviation API
Examples of application programming interface in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In recent years, Safaricom opened up M-Pesa’s application programming interface to simplify integration with mainstream financial transactions. — Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz Africa, "The chief executive who built up one of the world’s leading mobile money services has died," 1 July 2019 Second, electronic health record (EHR) manufacturers should be forced to open their APIs (application programming interfaces) to third-party developers. — WSJ, "Enable Medical-Monitoring APPs Via Law," 25 Sep. 2018 Both of the bugs affecting users of the Google+ site this year were found on the same application programming interface, or API. — John D. Mckinnon, WSJ, "Google to Accelerate Closure of Google+ Social Network After Finding New Software Bug," 10 Dec. 2018 Related Google makes user data available to outside developers through more than 130 different public channels known as application programming interfaces, or APIs. — Robert Mcmillan, WSJ, "Google Exposed User Data, Feared Repercussions of Disclosing to Public," 8 Oct. 2018 According to Motherboard, the hackers were able to exploit an internal API (application programming interface) on its servers that handled personal information. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "T-Mobile data breach FAQ: What happened, how it affects you, and what you should do now," 24 Aug. 2018 Specifically, the disrupters targeted the comment filing system application programming interface (API), which is distinct from the website, and is normally used by automated programs or bots for bulk filings. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC lied to Congress about made-up DDoS attack, investigation found," 8 Aug. 2018 The specification, called WebAuthn, is an application programming interface (API) that Web developers can integrate into their websites and allow fingerprint readers and even face scanners like Apple’s Face ID to verify a person’s identity. — Don Reisinger, Fortune, "Web Browsers Are Starting to Kill Passwords," 10 Apr. 2018 Almost anyone can build an app that connects to Gmail accounts using Google’s software called an application programming interface, or API. — Douglas Macmillan, WSJ, "Tech’s ‘Dirty Secret’: The App Developers Sifting Through Your Gmail," 2 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'application programming interface.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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