APIs vs. Webhooks

2021年11月11日
Web Service

An API (Application Programming Interface) enables two-way communication between software applications driven by requests. A webhook is a lightweight API that powers one-way data sharing triggered by events. Together, they enable applications to share data and functionality, and turn the web into something greater than the sum of its parts.

What is an API?

An API is like a portal through which information and functionality can be shared between two software services. The word “interface” is key to understanding an API’s purpose. Just like a web browser is an interface for a human end user to receive, send, and update information on a web server, an API is an interface that provides software programs with the same functionality.

What is a webhook?

A webhook can be thought of as a type of API that is driven by events rather than requests. Instead of one application making a request to another to receive a response, a webhook is a service that allows one program to send data to another as soon as a particular event takes place. Webhooks are sometimes referred to as “reverse APIs,” because communication is initiated by the application sending the data rather than the one receiving it. With web services becoming increasingly interconnected, webhooks are seeing more action as a lightweight solution for enabling real-time notifications and data updates without the need to develop a full-scale API.

Next week, I will continue to share the usage of webhook in Laravel.

By tsuki