| API |
Application Programming Interface — a contract between programs |
| authentication |
Proving who you are (API key, token, OAuth2) |
| authorization |
Proving you're allowed (happens after authentication) |
| Bearer token |
A short-lived credential sent as Authorization: Bearer ... |
| body |
The data payload of a request or response |
| curl |
The command-line HTTP client |
| endpoint |
One URL + method combination (GET /items) |
| header |
Metadata line on a request/response (Content-Type: ...) |
| HTTPS |
HTTP over TLS — encrypted and authenticated |
| idempotent |
Safe to repeat (processing twice = processing once) |
| JSON |
JavaScript Object Notation — the data format of APIs |
| method (verb) |
GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE — the action |
| OAuth2 |
The "log in with..." delegation flow |
| OpenAPI |
A standard file format describing an API |
| paging |
Big lists split across requests (?page=2) |
| query param |
?key=value filters on a URL |
| rate limit |
How many requests you're allowed per window (429 when exceeded) |
| resource |
The thing a URL names (/items/1) |
| REST |
The dominant API style: nouns in URLs, verbs in methods |
| status code |
The 3-digit outcome (200, 404, 500) |
| TLS |
The encryption under HTTPS |
| webhook |
The API calls you: an event POSTed to your URL |