Infrastructure · beginner
What is API?
A plain-English explanation of API (Application Programming Interface) — what it means, why it matters, and how it is used in AI.
API
Application Programming Interface
An API (Application Programming Interface) is the connection layer that allows developers to send prompts to an AI model programmatically and receive responses in their own applications.
"A startup uses the Anthropic API to power their writing assistant — their app sends user text to Claude via the API and displays the response."
Also known as: AI API, model API, REST API
Why does API matter?
APIs are how virtually all commercial AI applications access language models.
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