What is a REST API in Very Simple Words (using Pizza App 🍕 Example)

Hello everyone, welcome back. In this quick article, we’re going to answer one simple but powerful question: What exactly is a REST API?

Now, if this is your first time hearing those words, don’t worry. You don’t need to be a programmer or a tech expert to understand what I’m about to explain. My goal is to break it down so that anyone — even a complete beginner — can follow along.

Let’s start with the basics.

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What is an API?

First, let’s talk about the term API. API stands for Application Programming Interface. That might sound technical, but think of it like this.

An API is simply a way for two different software systems to talk to each other.

Imagine you’re using a mobile app to order a pizza. When you tap the button to place your order, the app sends a message to the restaurant’s computer system. That message might say something like, “Please send one large pepperoni pizza to this address.”