Sign in ☰What is an API?
This is for anyone new to APIs: business users, admins, report designers, solution architects.
It's ideal for those who want to understand the basics before diving into technical setup.
✅ Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes.
None. This is a foundational article—just bring curiosity!
APIs are the backbone of modern integrations. Understanding what they are and how they work will help you unlock automation, reporting, and data connectivity across your tools.
What “API” stands for and its core purpose - how APIs enable systems to communicate. You'll learn about common real-world examples of API usage, and begin to explore why APIs matter for reporting and automation.
Overview
An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols for building and interacting with software applications. It’s a way for different software systems to communicate with each other, and it defines the methods and data formats that a program can use to perform tasks, retrieve data, and interact with other software components.
A Simile for Your Thoughts
APIs are like a menu in a restaurant. The menu provides a list of dishes you can order, along with a description of each dish. When you specify what menu items you want, the restaurant’s kitchen does all the work and provides you with finished dishes. You don’t know exactly how the dish is prepared, and you don’t really need to, you just know it tastes delicious!
Back to APIs
Similar to a menu, an API lists a bunch of operations that a developer can use, along with a description of what they do. The developer doesn’t necessarily need to know how, for example, an operating system builds and presents a “Save As” dialog box—they just need to know that it’s available for use in their app.
One major difference is there's no cost associated, so order as much as you want! The only limit is the Usage Limit, at some point your stomach needs time to recover! The usage limit ensures that everyone can access their data without disruption.
The Cherry On Top
In the context of edison365, the edison365 Public API allows you to interact with the edison365 software programmatically. So on top of the functionality within edison365, you can grab your data and arrange it outside of edison365 as well! This can be particularly useful for tasks such as generating reports, automating data entry, and integrating edison365 with other software systems.
Some software systems that allow API integrations include:
Microsoft Software like PowerAutomate, PowerBI, PowerQuery, SharePoint, Teams, etc
Tableau
Jira
Salesforce
DevOps
ServiceNow
Happy coding!
Remember: While APIs can be incredibly powerful tools, they should be used responsibly. Always ensure that you are not exposing sensitive data, and adhere to any usage limits to prevent service disruptions.