Standing for Application Programming Interface an API describes a mechanism for how two or more applications communicate with each other and pass data between themselves.

An example would be the popular Instagram API, which allows you to securely interface with the Instagram application to programmatically retrieve some data i.e. your posts. There are more complex use cases too, for example: taking the data from a contact form and automatically placing the data into your CRM. In both examples, two separate systems have linked together to achieve something without either having to worry about how the other is set up.

To give you an idea about the range of services you can integrate with to enrich an application or workflow through an API, we've listed out a few of the more popular ones below:

• Integrations with customer relationship management, customer engagement platform (CRM / CEP)
  • HubSpot, Atreemo Acteol, Airship, Reputation, Microsoft Dynamics
• Payment gateways
  • Stripe, PayPal, Sage, WorldPay
• Analytics / marketing
  • Google Analytics / Tag Manager, MailChimp
• Voucher redemption
  • Eagle Eye
• Social platforms
  • Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Miscellaneous
  • Design my night, Book a table, Stocknet
• Data feeds
  • Strava, Procure Wizard, Opta
• Mail servers
  • Postmark, SES
• Platforms
  • Shopify, Bigcommerce, Strava

We're experienced in the common types of APIs below, although the more modern ones are generally REST or Graph APIs.

• REST
• Graph
• SOAP
• XML-RPC
• JSON-RPC

Ultimately as long as an API is well documented, we can work with it to get the job done.

When working with new APIs and systems, we consider the following:

• Have we used the integration previously, how recently / extensively?
• What is the documentation like? Sometimes API documentation or user guides are locked behind paywalls or authorisation which can be a red flag.
• Is the service the API is for a well known provider? E.g. Opta, Sage, Strava, Facebook.
• We perform detailed analysis to determine which integration is the correct approach for your business. For example, should you use Google Maps or Mapbox? Depending on traffic Mapbox can often be the correct choice but we'll always check on a case-by-case basis and present our recommendation for the best solution.

We’ve talked about various types of APIs and what a good API looks like, but what do we do if there is no API?

Generally speaking, as long as there is some sort of way to make a connection, then we’re in a position to explore developing a solution. An example of this might be bespoke internal systems that don’t have an API, but they are able to connect to a server to read/write data. In this example, there is a way to make a connection, and we will work with you and your team to facilitate the best approach and get systems talking.

We absolutely can build you an API. We love working with data, and creating secure and simple ways for clients to accelerate their growth through digital solutions. We’ve made various APIs and data services in the past to help solve some very difficult problems. We’d start this process by getting to know you and your data before figuring out between us the most suitable way to move forwards.