Exploring the Common API Terminology You Need to Know

1. REST (Representational State Transfer): An architectural style for designing networked applications, typically using HTTP as the underlying protocol.
2. SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol): A protocol for exchanging structured information in web services using XML-based messages.
3. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation): A lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate.
4. OAuth (Open Authorization): An open standard for authorization that allows users to grant access to their protected resources without sharing their credentials.
5. SDK (Software Development Kit): A set of tools, libraries, and documentation that developers use to build applications for a specific platform or programming language.
6. SDK Client: A software component or library that provides an interface for interacting with an API from within an application.
7. API client: A program or tool that interacts with an API on behalf of a user or system.
8. API key: A secret token or credential to authenticate a user or system when accessing an API.
9. Authentication: The process of verifying the identity of a user or system attempting to access an API.
10. Authorization: The process of determining whether a user or system has permission to access a specific resource or perform a particular action.
11. Endpoint: A URL that represents a specific resource or action within an API.
12. HTTP verb/method: The type of request being made (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) that determines the action to be taken on a resource.
13. Rate Limiting: The process of restricting the number of requests a client can make to an API within a given time period to prevent abuse or ensure fair usage.
14. Webhooks: A mechanism for receiving real-time notifications from an API by sending HTTP requests to a specified URL when a specific event occurs.
15. CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing): A mechanism that allows resources (e.g., fonts, JavaScript) on a web page to be requested from another domain outside the domain from which the resource originated.
16. API Gateway: A server that acts as an entry point for client requests and provides various features such as routing, authentication, and rate limiting for backend APIs.
17. Bearer Token: A type of access token used in authentication, where the token is presented by the client to access protected resources.
18. GraphQL (Graph Query Language): A query language and runtime for APIs that provide a flexible and efficient approach to request and manipulate data.
19. Versioning: The practice of assigning a version number to an API to manage changes, additions, or removals of functionality over time.
20. Payload: The data transmitted in a request or response body, typically in formats like JSON or XML.
21. Pagination: The process of dividing a large data set into smaller pages or chunks to improve performance and limit the amount of data transferred in a single response.
22. Content-Type: An HTTP header that specifies the media type of the data being sent or received in a request or response.
23. API Documentation: Comprehensive and structured information about an API, including endpoints, request/response formats, parameters, and example usage.
24. API Key: A unique identifier or token provided to a client application for authentication and authorization purposes when making API requests.
25. Query parameter: A way to pass additional information to an API endpoint through the URL query string.
26. Asynchronous API: An API design pattern where the client can send a request to the server and receive a response at a later time, without blocking the client's execution until the response is received.