What is an API?

What is it that allows you to log in to various apps and websites with your Facebook profile? And how can you find and book flight tickets on a website that has nothing to do with the airline? The answer is quite simple: The system you use talks to other systems to retrieve and verify information. If you log in to Pinterest with your Facebook account, Pinterest talks directly with Facebook to verify your log-in information. The invisible hero that makes this possible is known as an API. But what is an API? API is an acronym that stands for Application Programming Interface. We use APIs all the time without even realizing it. Every time you check the weather forecast or pay with PayPal online, you use an API.

API is the IT world's equivalent to an interpreter, because it allows different programs to talk to each other. It´s a code that makes it possible to exchange data between different systems and apps. The API takes your requests, tells the system what you want to do, and returns a response back to you. Think of the API as a waiter; the waiter receives your order (the request) and forwards it to the chef in the kitchen (the system). When the food is ready, the waiter returns to the table with your food. In this example, the waiter is a contact point in the system. In technical terms, the contact point is refered to as an endpoint.

Like the waiter, each API has a predetermined protocol that they must follow. The protocol determines what information is required and what the end result should be. To get the desired results, you must provide the correct information. If a person with a gluten allergy orders bread on the side, they have to be specific and order gluten-free bread to get what they´re asking for. If the information you provide is incorrect, your request will be refused. To continue with the same analogy we used earlier: if you go to a pizza restaurant and order an omelette, you will be told that the restaurant does not serve omelettes, and your request will be rejected. That's because the information you provide the system is incorrect according to the protocol.

To use an API, you usually need to provide an API key along with the request to identify yourself. An API key is a unique ID that enables the system to have an overview of who is accessing the system's endpoints. To access the API of Intellipush, both an API ID and an API Secret are required. This is because the API is secured with Oauth 2.0 authentication. You can find this information under "API settings" on my page on Intellipush. This means that Intellipush's API is both open and secured at the same time. Anyone can create an account for free at https://www.intellipush.com and get access to the API ID and - Secret. Our goal is to make it easy for you to explore and inspect the API and see all the potential possibilities - and believe me, there are many!

API makes it possible to integrate various functionalities and additional services into an app or software. Take the integration of PayPal in online stores as an example. The advantage of this is that different software services and applications can offer different functionalities and strengthen their value proposition, without having to spend countless hours reinventing the wheel. Instead of creating a completely new payment method, they can integrate with PayPal! Another advantage is that API integrations automate what would otherwise be a manual process. The company saves time and resources, and can scale up the business more efficiently.

With an SMS integration, you will be able to use all the functions that Intellipush offers directly in your system. This can be a CRM system, cash register system, website or other systems you use in your daily operations. The advantage of such an API integration is that you get all your tools gathered in one place. Instead of having to log into Intellipush's platform to send a message, you can do it directly in systems where you have an overview of your customers and their habits, interests and needs. This way, you get SMS marketing as an integral part of your workday.

Do you want to integrate with one of the best SMS APIs? Contact us or one of our partners and find out what value an integration with Intellipush can bring to your company!