What is API and Why Is It Important?

[Mary159]

I'm new to coding and have heard a lot about APIs, but I'm not entirely sure what they are or why they're essential in software development. Can someone explain what is an API development  in simple terms and why it's crucial in today's technology landscape? Examples or real-world applications would be helpful too!

[Inderdeep]

Here you go : https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Other_Topics/Cisco_Meraki_Dashboard_API

[ammahend]

whats your background and experience with computer networks ? if you give a short few 2-5 line summary it would be easier to answer in a way that would make sense to you.

[Alisdair85]

Hi, great question! And one I asked myself a while ago. In a nutshell, the different Meraki APIs can aid in solving business challenges and technical problems that may not natively be solved by the Meraki solution/platform.

We have built a software development and innovation practice around exactly this since 2019 to solve various problems for customers based on our 30 years of Cisco Networking and Security experience, it has been a massive enabler!

The below short YouTube playlist should help as it outlines just a few solutions we have built from the ground up that productises the Meraki Dashboard API as well as others from Cisco Catalyst Centre (DNAC), Cisco Umbrella and several others.

However outside of the productisation space, using Python or Ansible playbooks on a more ad-hoc project level can really assist and boost productivity by saving time, cost and increase efficiencies in many ways. 

Hope that helps!

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlMM-SlRfUzTjZ8L1MsqEIaSZNixxyWHO

[Jamieinbox]

Great answers here, here's my two cents.

Boss wants me to give inventory count per building, and the model of APs. Although you can pull spreadsheets of data per network, it would take some time to collect and gather all the information. I wanted something fast and easy to gather all this data, so I created a script. I called it, "AssetDataDump," and shared it out to the world on github. https://github.com/jadexing/Merakicode/tree/HelpfulCode
Some of my clients have large capacity classrooms. I created a script to run though the particular networks and let me know the client count per AP, so I have a good indication if a class is running, per numbers, over a certain count. I can then work on monitoring the class session. 
Scripting with APIs is amazing, and it also allows third party vendors to create add-on software that can do incredible things. With tools like ChatGPT and CoPilot learning to code or getting help with code has never been easier. "Python Coding for Everyone," is free and amazing training. There are so many good, kind and helpful humans on the web. 🙂

[RicardoD]

Welcome to this API world! I recommend starting here: https://developer.cisco.com/startnow/ and also check the Learning Labs on the DevNet website to increase your knowledge about API and Programmability tools: https://developer.cisco.com/learning/

[PhilipDAth]

https://gemini.google.com/ said:

API stands for Application Programming Interface. It's basically a middleman that enables software applications to talk to each other. Imagine you go to a restaurant, the menu (API) tells you what dishes (functions) are available and how to order them (instructions). The waiter (API) then carries your request (data) to the kitchen (application) and brings back your food (response).

APIs are important because they:

• Simplify app development: Instead of building everything from scratch, developers can use APIs to access features and data from other applications. This saves time and effort.

• Enable innovation: APIs allow developers to combine data and functionalities from different sources, leading to new and innovative applications.

• Improve user experience: Many of the features we take for granted in apps, like ride-hailing or social media logins, are powered by APIs. They make apps more convenient and interconnected.

• Boost business efficiency: Businesses can use APIs to share data and services with partners and customers, streamlining operations and creating new revenue streams.