Difference Between Data and API

Sometimes two elements form so tight pair that the line in between is really blurred. That confuses many people to see what is what. This may happen also to API and Data in API Economy discussion.

Oil is a substance lying under ground. It would stay there without interest and arrangements to suck it on the ground to be available for use. That is where different type of oil pumps come in the picture.

Data flows and API does the work

In API Economy the Data is the basic resource fuelling the digital world. The analogy of “Data is the new oil” has been discussed some time already, e.g. “Data is the New Oil” by Will Murphy. “Data is the New Oil” is absolutely the minimum bar comparison, because Data is much more than oil. Data is not going to be one of the scarce natural resources, but as an artificially produced resource with eternal growth.

If Data is oil, then Data API is oil pump. Data is the thing that is moved around and reshaped to fit in the needs. API is programmed software entity to execute algorithms with Data. Data flows and API does the work.

The writer is an Apitalist of APInf Oy, helping organizations to participate in API Economy, as well as helping API and Application developers come together around API Management platforms to form ecosystems and standardize APIs of the World.