Technology has truly progressed from the industrial revolution to today’s emphasis on AI development and improvement. Technology has revolutionized society in the last few decades like never before. Our lives have become easier, and we can use a variety of gadgets to do the things we want.

Despite the presence of many powerful technologies, mobile technology has altered our reality in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Its impact can be gauged by the fact that, as of 2021, there are already over 15 billion cellphones in use, with the number rapidly increasing. This massive number of mobile devices, combined with emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and the Internet of Things, is reshaping the entire mobile industry.

API integration is pivotal to mobile transformation, bringing a well-needed relief to app developers. API integration can help reduce development time, increase innovation, slim codebases, and bring a myriad of other efficiency benefits. Below, we’ll review what APIs are and explore how API integration benefits the modern app development process.

What Is an API, and How Does It Work?

Image courtesy of Excellent Webworld.

API stands for Application Programming Interface, and it serves as a link between two software applications, allowing them to communicate with one another. When we use a mobile application, it sends and receives data over the Internet to and from a remote server.

The application receives data from the server, decodes it, and performs the necessary steps before returning it to your phone. The program analyzes the data and presents it to us in a human-readable format.

API development and integration focus on sending messages and other data by common mobile applications like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For example, we use numerous applications on our smartphones that connect to the Internet and send data to a server. Before returning the information to the phone, the server retrieves it, interprets it, and executes the actions.

Six Major Benefits of Using APIs

1. Development Time Is Drastically Reduced

The most significant advantage of using APIs is that synchronizing them across multiple development stages significantly reduces overall development time. Numerous APIs are available on the market that enable mobile applications to communicate with outside expert companies to solve various problems. For example, assume that developers need more time to plan a sign-in module for authenticating clients in portable apps. They can make use of Google sign-in APIs, Facebook APIs, or other multi-factor login APIs.

API integrations not only make life easier and faster for application designers but also make things easier for end-users. They aren’t required to keep embedding their sign-in credentials; if all else is equal, they can use their previously saved Google or Facebook sign-in credentials to verify themselves. Storage APIs are another paradigm; rather than building storage for mobile applications, they may simply use Google Drive API or Dropbox APIs to store various client details and progress, which is especially useful in gaming applications.

2. A Relief To Coders

Incorporating a programming interface into application development shortens development time by reducing the amount of coding required and the time spent on it. Engineers can imprint a variety of functionalities in the adaptable application by coordinating the individual APIs. Typically, versatile application engineers must code every feature and component that their program requires.

APIs eliminate the need for some coding and make it easier for outsider specialized firms to handle similar functionality. For example, while using a hotel booking software and trying to locate a specific lodge, you may have come across the phrases “managed by Google” or “Google maps.” Instead of planning their guide (which is unquestionably a time-consuming and tedious interaction), engineers can coordinate a more precise guide powered by geolocation APIs in their applications.

3. Amplifies Creativeness

There are numerous APIs on the market, each of which supports a unique set of features. Due to time constraints, most application designers try to keep the number of functionalities and pieces as low as possible. Typically, innovation suffers due to these realities. Using APIs, however, the app can be powered by features that would otherwise be difficult to configure, thus increasing the creative potential.

For instance, adaptable application engineers can use the YouTube API to integrate web-based video into their foundation without having to create their own component. These minor details contribute significantly to the application’s overall inventiveness. Any number of application development agencies are comfortable with helping you solve such problems too.

4. Simpler Codebase

The more refined a portable application’s codebase is, the more features and capabilities it can deliver. Even a seemingly simple feature can necessitate a significant amount of coding. It stands to reason that the more complex the element, the more perplexing and lengthier its code would be. For the most part, APIs alleviate this complication by assisting designers in incorporating complex but critical functionalities into their portable app development.

Engineers do not need to build out every single feature; they can use individual APIs to patch these insufficiently constructed pieces. As a result, the codebase becomes less clumsy and more comfortable to apprehend.

5. Productivity and Efficiency Increases

Portable applications can be integrated with various APIs to allow clients to share data. Common APIs we use all the time include WhatsApp API, Facebook API, LinkedIn API, Twitter API, and others. By encouraging users to share the app’s content across multiple networks, APIs help make the multipurpose app more efficient, useful, and well-known. This is an advantageous approach because it increases the app’s visibility across a wide range of mediums.

Also, if the content meets the expectations of potential clients from various sources, the download rate of your app may increase. This is especially useful for News applications — if a customer enjoys the application’s content and distributes it through multiple channels, it can attract new customers interested in that content.

6. Easier Payment Process

Transaction-issuing APIs are some of the most well-known APIs, and they can be found in almost all portable apps these days. Flexible application designers can incorporate a variety of payment APIs into their applications to assist clients in completing transactions without problems.

PayPal API, Square API, and Stripe API are just a few examples of well-known payment APIs that you’ve most likely seen in most online business applications. With the integration of these APIs, monetary exchanges have become simpler and less time-consuming.

Conclusion

API integration can be thought of as the glue that holds innovative advancements together. This is why platform integration automation companies, such as Workato (pioneers on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for IPaaS administrations), Boomi, or MuleSoft are currently in demand. These offerings will almost certainly continue to evolve in the near future to address much more complex enterprise challenges.