API
An API is the defined way one piece of software asks another for data or asks it to do something — the documented door a system leaves open, so other systems do not have to guess or scrape.
Also written: application programming interfaceArabic: واجهة برمجة التطبيقات
Why a business owner should care
Whether a system has a usable API decides whether it can join the rest of your operation or will always need a person copying out of it. It is worth asking before buying software, not after.
What "has an API" does not guarantee
That the fields you need are exposed, that it can be called often enough for your volumes, or that changes are announced before they break you. Those are separate questions.
Webhooks, the other direction
An API is you asking. A webhook is the other system telling you the moment something happens, which is usually the difference between a process that runs in seconds and one that waits for the next scheduled check.
Related terms
Questions people ask
Sometimes, but check whether a public API exists first. "Integration requires us" is occasionally a commercial position rather than a technical fact.
There are usually options — a file exchange, a database view, sometimes a supported export. They are less robust, and they are worth pricing into the decision to keep that system.
Related serviceAutomation & integrations