nterface) is a set of functions and procedures allowing the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.

Imagine that you are sitting down in a restaurant. You are representing the end user. The kitchen that prepares your food is representing the backend. The waiter is who communicates between the two, just like an API.

When you enter the restaurant, you interact with the waiter and place your order. The waiter then walks over to the kitchen and tells them what they need to prepare. Once ready, the waiter will bring your order from the kitchen back to you.

An API is what helps facilitate communication between two applications, whether that be the frontend and backend or the backend or your platform and a 3rd party's services.

An algorithm is a procedure used for solving a problem or performing a computation.

In order to complete a recipe to perfection, you must follow a specific set of steps.

Some recipes are more complex than others. Some recipes are proprietary whereas others are more common knowledge.

An algorithms is an exact list of instructions that conduct specific actions, step by step, in order to accomplish a specific task.

Algorithm

Alpha testing is an initial phase of testing a product or software, conducted by the development team or a limited group of internal users, to identify and fix bugs before moving on to the beta testing phase.

Think of building a house. The alpha test is like the first walkthrough by the architect and construction team, checking the structure for any issues or improvements needed before inviting potential buyers for a tour (beta test).

Alpha testing is the initial testing phase to ensure the product is functional and ready for the next stage of testing with a wider audience.

Alpha Test

Android is an open-source operating system (OS) developed by Google, primarily designed for smartphones and tablets. It is based on the Linux kernel and allows developers to create applications that can run on Android devices.

Imagine Android as a city with various buildings (apps) and infrastructure (hardware). The city's layout and rules (the OS) determine how the buildings are constructed and how they interact with one another. Just as a city provides a common ground for people to live and work, Android provides a platform for apps to run and interact with each other on a device.

Android is the platform that allows apps to run and interact with each other on smartphones and tablets.

Android

Authentication is the verification process of a user's, process', or devices' identity. Authentication commonly is used to restrict access.

Authentication is like your government ID.

In order to fly or drive a car, you need to authenticate that you have the right credentials to do so as a legal citizen or resident.

Authentication is the process of determining whether someone or something is who that someone or something actually is.

Authentication

A Composite API executes a series of REST API requests in a single call. The output of the initial request can be used with the input to a subsequent request.

A Composite API is like a waiter taking multiple orders at once.

Imagine you are in a restaurant and a waiter comes to take your order. You are sitting all the way at the end of the restaurant in a single row of tables. Instead of taking your order, then going straight back to the kitchen to deliver the order to the Chef, it is more efficient for the waiter to take the order of each table on their way over to the Chef.

Starting with you, the waiter will stop at each table and take each order on their way back to the kitchen. Once the waiter has reached the kitchen, they will give the Chef all of the orders.

A Composite API lets you perform multiple actions that are then communicated in a single act.

Composite API

A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) aims to overwhelm the devices, servers, and networks of its intended target with fake internet traffic, rendering them inaccessible to or useless for legitimate users. It is a type of cyber attack.

A DDoS attack is like an unexpected traffic jam clogging up the highway, preventing regular traffic from arriving at its destination.

Imagine you are driving down a road that is one-way and has no cross-roads.

All of the sudden, a line of trucks starts driving across the road, blocking you from moving forward. Maybe every so often, a car can squeeze through between the trucks, but by in large, all of the traffic is getting held up by this unexpected traffic that shouldn't be there.

Nobody could have planned accordingly to take a different route because that line of trucks is not supposed to be there.

A DDoS attack is a cyber-attack that blocks and overwhelms a website with fake users, preventing real users from accessing the site.

DDoS Attack

External APIs are APIs that developers use to integrate their applications with a third-party resource, such as a public cloud service or a SaaS application. This type of API is probably what you think of first and foremost when you think about APIs.

An External API is the system a restaurant would use to order from their distributor.

When a restaurant needs to order more food, they tend to order it from a large distributor. Internally, an employee from a restaurant may notice that their potato storage is below proper levels.

When they notice this, they will mark on a system that says they are in need of potatoes, and this system will communicate with their distributor to make the purchase, so that on the next food shipment, the distributor brings more potatoes.

An External API is one that allows one organization to communicate with another organization.

External API

An internal API is an interface that enables access to a company's backend information and application functionality for use by the organization's developers.

The communication between a waiter and the Chef in a restaurant.

When you are in a restaurant, a waiter must communicate to the Chef what your order is. In order to facilitate that communication, they may submit the order on an internal system or just rip the piece of paper off and stick it up on the Chef's queue.

However the waiter communicates this, the method of communication is performed by the waiter, an employee of the restaurant, to the Chef, an employee of the restaurant.

An Internal API allows developers at a company to access information from their company.

Internal API

An Open API, also called a Public API, is a publicly available application programming interface that provides developers with programmatic access to a proprietary software application or web service.

An Open API is like the ordering buttons on a public vending machine.

Restaurants tend to only be open for certain hours during the day. If you try to go to a restaurant after they are closed, you can't access their waiter to order your food. A public vending machine is open 24/7 and is available to anyone who walks by.

Maybe the vending machine is in the park. You first need to go to the park, and then you can access the vending machine. If there are a lot of people trying to use the vending machine at once, it may be a little slow to place your order, but at any time of the day, you are able to go and press those buttons to get a snack.

An Open API is one that is publicly available to anyone who wants to utilize it.

Open API

A Partner API allows you as a partner to perform all the GET operations that you do in your partner store. Partner APIs are built using REST principles. This ensures predictable URLs that make it easy to write and retrieve data related to your partner store. This API follows HTTP rules.

A Partner API is the ordering system for a restaurant to order food from its distributor.

A restaurant doesn't magically have all the food it needs. They tend to order their food from larger distributors that have the bulk quantities they need to function.

The everyday individual doesn't have access to order food from these bulk distributors, they have to go to the restaurant in order to purchase their food. The distributor is only going to allow the restaurant to order food from them.

A Partner API is exposed by, or to, the strategic business partner.

Partner API

ransfer) API, or RESTful API, is an application programming interface (API or Web API) that conforms to the constraints of REST architectural style and allows for interaction with RESTful web services.

A REST API is the way your waiter writes down your order.

A waiter can record your order in many different ways. Maybe the try to memorize all of the orders and don't write anything down. Maybe they have a blank pad of paper, or pre-organized pad of all menu items. Maybe, they just use an iPad.

Depending on the restaurant and the responsibilities of the waiter, they may choose a specific way to take your order to most effectively facilitate the transfer of information.

A REST API is a style of API that dictates how you can access and use data.

REST API

Software architecture refers to the organization of a system, a reflection as to how all systems work together.

Software architecture is like housing architecture.

When building a house, you first architect it. Each room is designed for a specific purpose.

Piping and electricity is diligently planned to interact throughout the house.

Doors allow you to travel between rooms whereas walls block off access to rooms.

Software architecture is the organizational makeup of the entire system.

Software Architecture

Staff augmentation is an outsourcing strategy that augments the capacity of your in-house development by temporarily hiring out-of-house talent.

Staff augmentation is like renting a movie.

It's a late night after a long day of work. You're ready to kick off your shoes, change into the comfy PJs, and relax. You realize that you want to watch a movie, and you don't own the movie you want to watch.

Unfortunately, you don't make a lot of money and just spent your allowance on a brand new phone. So while you want to buy this new movie, you know that you fiscally aren't in the position to do so.

So, rather than buying the movie, you have the option to rent the movie. It will cost you less money so it financially makes sense. On the down-side, you don't own the movie, so it isn't yours to keep forever and do with what you want. You only get the movie for the amount of time that you rented it.

Once your time is up, you give the movie back and you don't have to pay for any of the overhead nor find any space to store it.

Staff augmentation is the process of using temporary workers to fill short-term positions within your company.

Staff Augmentation

A system administrator is a professional responsible for managing, maintaining, and ensuring the smooth operation of computer systems, networks, and servers within an organization.

Think of a system administrator as the conductor of an orchestra. Just as the conductor ensures that all the musicians are in harmony and playing their instruments correctly, the system administrator ensures that all the computer systems, networks, and servers are functioning efficiently and securely.

A system administrator is the person who keeps an organization's computer systems and networks running smoothly and securely.

System Administration

A web application is an interactive software program that runs on a web server and can be accessed through a web browser. It uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to provide a user interface and functionality.

Think of a web application as a restaurant. The restaurant (web server) serves you food (web content) whenever you visit it. You can access the restaurant through a door (web browser), and the restaurant offers different dishes (features) that you can choose from.

A web application is a software program that you can access and interact with through a web browser, providing various features and functions.

API

Algorithm

Alpha Test

Android

Authentication

Composite API

DDoS Attack

External API

Internal API

Open API

Partner API

REST API

Software Architecture

Staff Augmentation

System Administration

Web Application

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