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Questions tagged [api]

An application programming interface (API) is the specification for which software is meant to be used by other software.

1315 questions
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How do I create my own programming language and a compiler for it

I am thorough with programming and have come across languages including BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, LISP, LOGO, Java, C++, C, MATLAB, Mathematica, Python, Ruby, Perl, JavaScript, Assembly and so on. I can't understand how people create programming…
Dave
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12 answers

Strategy for keeping secret info such as API keys out of source control?

I'm working on a website that will allow users to log in using OAuth credentials from the likes of Twitter, Google, etc. To do this, I have to register with these various providers and get a super-secret API key that I have to protect with pledges…
Ripped Off
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224
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14 answers

Why aren't more desktop apps written with Qt?

As far as I know and have understood in my experience with Qt, it's a very good and easy to learn library. It has a very well designed API and is cross-platform, and these are just two of the many features that make it attractive. I'm interested to…
Dehumanizer
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12 answers

What's the difference between an API and an SDK?

I was looking through various APIs and SDKs, when I realized that I couldn't really tell the difference between something called an API and something called an SDK. Both of them are, conceptually, a way for your program to interface with and control…
KeithS
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127
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4 answers

REST API security Stored token vs JWT vs OAuth

I am still trying to find the best security solution for protecting REST API, because the amount of mobile applications and API is increasing every day. I have tried different ways of authentication, but still has some misunderstandings, so I need…
CROSP
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98
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8 answers

RESTFul: state changing actions

I am planning to build a RESTfull API but there are some architectural questions that are creating some problems in my head. Adding backend business logic to clients is an option that I would like to avoid since updating multiple client platforms is…
Miro Svrtan
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97
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2 answers

Why have hardware-accelerated vector graphics not taken off?

I'm working on an app that involves real-time manipulation of vector paths at 60fps, and I'm very surprised by how little information there is on the subject. At first, I tried to implement my idea using CoreGraphics, but it didn't perform…
Archagon
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90
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8 answers

What HTTP status code to return if multiple actions finish with different statuses?

I am building an API where the user can ask the server to perform multiple actions in one HTTP request. The result is returned as a JSON array, with one entry per action. Each of these actions might fail or succeed independently of each other. For…
Anders
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88
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3 answers

Difference between Web API and Web Service?

I have heard a lot about Web Services and Web APIs, is there any difference between them or are they the same?
Harish Kurup
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87
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7 answers

Designing a REST api by URI vs query string

Let's say I have three resources that are related like so: Grandparent (collection) -> Parent (collection) -> and Child (collection) The above depicts the relationship among these resources like so: Each grandparent can map to one or several…
HiChews123
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3 answers

What is REST (in simple English)

Lately I have become interested in familiarizing myself with REST. I tried reading wiki entry on REST, but it was of no help. I would really appreciate it if someone can explain in simple English (that is without unnecessary tech jargon) What is…
Gaurav
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3 answers

Trailing slash in RESTful API

I have been having a debate about what to do with a trailing slash in a RESTful API. Lets say I have a resource called dogs and subordinate resources for individual dogs. We can therefore do the following: GET/PUT/POST/DELETE…
GWed
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77
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9 answers

When to use HTTP status code 404 in an API

I am working on a project and after arguing with people at work for about more than a hour. I decided to know what people on stack-exchange might say. We're writing an API for a system, there is a query that should return a tree of Organization or a…
Loïc Faure-Lacroix
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76
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3 answers

What is the difference between a Future and a Promise?

What is the difference between a Future and a promise? (In Akka and Gpars.) They look the same to me as both block and return the value of the future when get is called and a promise is to get the result of a future.
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
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3 answers

What is a proper way to do a complex RESTful search method?

Following REST principles, I would want to create a GET method for my API that make a search using some criteria and return the results to the client. The problem is that the criteria can have up to 14 parameters, one of them is a list of complex…
anat0lius
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