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RS Glossary

Application Programming Interface

An application programming interface, or API, is a published contract between two pieces of software: one side may send a defined request, and the other agrees to answer in a defined way, giving access to specific capabilities or data.

Review state
Reviewed in POC
Freshness
Current
Version
3
  • Application Programming Interface
  • API

Remember it this wayAn API is the agreed doorway between software systems.

In plain language

An API describes how one program can ask another program to do something. It typically defines allowed operations, required inputs, returned outputs, identity, and error behavior.

Why it matters

Many AI products depend on vendor APIs. Their limits, permissions, pricing, data handling, reliability, and version changes become part of the larger system.

Example

A company application sends a prompt and selected context to a model API, then receives a generated response for review.

Common misconception

An API is not the model itself. It is an access contract around a service, and the same model may be exposed through different APIs or products.

Related terms

Sources

  • OpenAPI Specification 3.0.4authoritative industry specification describing a standard, language-agnostic interface through which people and software can understand and interact with an HTTP API.

Learn more

  • Treat an API as a system boundary and examine its [[handoff|Handoffs]] and [[service-level-agreement|Service-Level Agreement]].

Public history

46 recorded events · 46 public summaries

  1. A potential shared concept was discussed and selected for initial glossary drafting.

  2. The captured candidate received a complete initial draft and entered section-level human review.

  3. Radar reviewed the initial definition draft for human consideration.

  4. Radar reviewed the initial plain-language-explanation draft for human consideration.

  5. Radar reviewed the initial why-it-matters draft for human consideration.

  6. Radar reviewed the initial example draft for human consideration.

  7. Radar reviewed the initial common-misconception draft for human consideration.

  8. Radar reviewed the initial remember-it-this-way draft for human consideration.

  9. Radar reviewed the initial related-terms draft for human consideration.

  10. Radar reviewed the initial sources draft for human consideration.

  11. Radar reviewed the initial learn-more draft for human consideration.

  12. A proposal was opened for section-level human review while preserving the current version.

  13. A human reviewer opened a proposed revision while preserving the current approved or captured version.

  14. definition approved by a human reviewer.

  15. plain-language-explanation approved by a human reviewer.

  16. why-it-matters approved by a human reviewer.

  17. example approved by a human reviewer.

  18. common-misconception approved by a human reviewer.

  19. remember-it-this-way approved by a human reviewer.

  20. related-terms approved by a human reviewer.

  21. sources returned for revision.

  22. learn-more approved by a human reviewer.

  23. Requested wording was prepared without changing approved or existing sections.

  24. Radar reviewed the pending sources section for human consideration.

  25. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  26. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  27. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  28. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  29. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  30. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  31. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  32. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  33. Radar must rereview the complete application-programming-interface term after an accepted text change.

  34. sources approved by a human reviewer.

  35. sources approved wording became the current section text.

  36. All section gates are approved; content version 2 is now a fully approved term.

  37. Radar rereviewed the human-approved definition wording for this exact version.

  38. Radar rereviewed the human-approved plain-language-explanation wording for this exact version.

  39. Radar rereviewed the human-approved why-it-matters wording for this exact version.

  40. Radar rereviewed the human-approved example wording for this exact version.

  41. Radar rereviewed the human-approved common-misconception wording for this exact version.

  42. Radar rereviewed the human-approved remember-it-this-way wording for this exact version.

  43. Radar rereviewed the human-approved related-terms wording for this exact version.

  44. Radar rereviewed the human-approved sources wording for this exact version.

  45. Radar rereviewed the human-approved learn-more wording for this exact version.

  46. Definition review recorded as replace.

Source: vault/Glossary/terms/application-programming-interface/term.md · sha256:53f05f048977165b13ea55e5d316d7066c6ed196c4d5d57556a908c73effee7f · Release: rs-glossary-glossary-team-poc-0.5.5-2026-09-02