Cloud basics: APIs and their role in cloud computing

How is cloud computing like medicine? The better it gets, the more complex it becomes.

Cloud adoption is at an all-time high. Most businesses no longer need to be told the benefits. Increasingly, it's not a choice. It's just the way we do things now.
But by heck, it can get complex. Today, even small businesses are handling huge tranches of data, multiple services and, in many cases, multiple cloud platforms.

How can this sprawl be managed? One answer is APIs or application programming interfaces.

An API lets two applications talk to each other. Take the weather app on your phone. This acts as an interface between you, the client, and the Met Office or other weather bureau. You request and they respond, with the API providing a bridge between you.

Of course, it quickly gets more complex than that. But at its most basic, an API is a bridge between two services.

APIs are now the backbone of cloud computing. Without them, businesses and customers alike would be forced to interact with bitty, sporadic and overly complex IT systems.

In this article, we take a closer look at what APIs are – and how they can help your business.

What are the main types of APIs?

There are different ways of categorising APIs. Perhaps the most common-sense way is to think of them in relation to the types of services they connect.

These days, cloud computing is often split into PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), SaaS (Software-as-a-Service and IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service). Each of these virtualised service types has its own APIs.

PaaS APIs connect your cloud infrastructure to third-party platforms. Developers then use these platforms to build their own applications.

SaaS APIs, by contrast, connect your cloud infrastructure to cloud-based software managed by third parties. A user can access a cloud application – Gmail, say – within a cloud environment.

A classic and commonly used example of this is third-party payment processing.

Let's say you're shopping online for a bag of salt. When you go to the checkout, the site asks if you want to pay with PayPal. You click "yes", and an API sets up the connection between you and PayPal.

This brings us to an important point. You, the user, don't need to see what the API is up to. Your interaction with the API is a seamless customer experience.

Next, there are IaaS APIs. These help you provision and manage virtualised infrastructure. They can be used to streamline server management, cloud security, storage and other services.

Finally, there are cross-platform APIs. In the age of the multi-cloud environment, cross-platform compatibility is a must. Cross-platform APIs let you access cloud-based resources from multiple cloud providers. At its most basic, this means you don't need to keep logging in and out of different cloud platforms.

Another way to categorise APIs is by their relation to the internal user and the external service. Seen in this light, they can be described as open APIs, partner APIs, internal APIs or composite APIs.

Open APIs are open-source application programming interfaces. Partner APIs connect you to a business partner. Internal APIs are hidden from external users. And composite APIs combine multiple APIs.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are database APIs, SOAP APIs, remote APIs, REST APIs, WebSocket APIs… But the types of APIs we've explored above give you an idea of the basic functionalities of APIs – and why they now constitute the backbone of cloud computing.

What about security?

No discussion of cloud computing is complete without considering security. In some ways, the cloud is your business and needs to be secured with the same rigour as your brick-and-mortar premises.

There's a difference, though. If you have an office, there's typically only one way in. But cloud computing systems are now brimful of applications, servers and APIs. Each one can be the weak link in the chain that lets a cyber criminal in.

This matters for several reasons. First, a data breach can give your reputation a knock (what else, a prospective customer might ask, is this business letting slide?) Secondly, it disrupts your workflows and loses you money. And thirdly, you could be issued a fine under GDPR or another regulatory framework.

Like any other cloud resource, APIs need to be highly defended. This means multi-factor authentication, thorough identity management and the guiding principle of zero-trust security. Anything less is putting you, your partners and your customers at risk.

One benefit of APIs, however, is that they let you control the amount of data you share. When a request is made, an API shares a small, relevant packet of data, leaving irrelevant internal system details hidden.

Why use cloud APIs?

The cloud isn't going anywhere – and in our opinion, that's a good thing. It can save you money, unlock new possibilities for remote collaboration and be scaled up and down with ease.

But whether you're a first-time migrator or spinning up a cloud-native infrastructure, cloud computing is a complex proposition. You need APIs to ensure your resources, workloads and services communicate with each other.

This interoperability spreads outwards to the customer. These days, customers have high standards when it comes to apps, web stores, portals and other online services. If it's hard to reach you or buy your services, customers are just a click away from a competitor.
As well as improving the customer experience, APIs boost collaboration between cloud applications. This lets you automate workflows and share ideas no matter where in the world you are.

Finally, APIs enable you to connect with new business partners, many of whom offer their services free of charge (at least to begin with).
In a word, it's all about smoothness for you and your customers. Go get some!

Are you looking for expert cloud transformation solutions to help your business grow? Get in touch with Ascend Cloud today for a free, no-obligation consultation.

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