API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is an integral part of software development. If your organisation is considering investing in a new software solution, then it’s more than likely that the term API has been thrown around. An API is best understood as a translator between software programs. It is the means by which one software program can communicate with another, and reap benefits, with neither program needing to perform the actions of the other.

Developers can use different APIs in different ways to build bridges between software programs. So for example, if you’re a local authority or legal firm investing in a new legal case management software, you may wish to still keep using some of your old programs whilst also integrating a new system. This is where APIs come in. API is a technical convenience — a means by which developers can take information from one location and make it accessible in another. It’s a set of rules that allows different programs to communicate.

What is a RESTful API?

REST determines what the API consists of. It stands for “Representational State Transfer”, and is defined as a set of rules that developers follow when they create their API. One of these rules states that you should be able to get data (known as a resource) when you link to a specific URL. Each URL is called a request while the data sent back is referred to as a response. The APIs that utilise this approach are said to be RESTful in nature. REST API is so popular that if people refer to any API, they usually mean it is a RESTful one.

API Debt Recovery Solutions

As an example, the power of APIs can be leveraged in debt recovery software. In fact the entire debt collection and debt management proceedings required to pursue debt can be bridged via APIs. The API is the means by which the software can exchange information from a variety of databases, and present it clearly and precisely in one location, since the APIs systematise and classify debt recovery cases and personal information.

The Benefits of APIs

APIs provide their users with many advantages.

1. Your Software Gets Bigger and Better

APIs invariably improve the functionality of software systems. Whether its debt recovery or debt collection software, or legal case management software, an API does the work for you. Outsourcing functions to other software programs and data sources will empower your enterprise at large.

2. Your Security Improves

Of course APIs allow access to new frontiers of functionality and new data, but they’re also the means by which people can control access, and they serve as an added wall of security. API security management solutions such as authentication, authorisation and throttling mean you can take complete control of your API landscape.

3. Improved Efficiency

Perhaps the greatest benefit of APIs are their impact on operational efficiency. Data generated from an API can be published immediately and can be shared and distributed automatically. This results in more efficient operational practices.

APIs have become the leading method by which organisations can digitally transform themselves, automating their processes and advancing their whole digital ecosystem. To learn more about how Lateral’s mastery of API can help your organisation adapt and evolve, please get in touch today.