Article · ~8 min read

What is an API? A beginner's guide

Postman Free Beginner

When a tool has no webhook, its API is your other door in, and Postman explains APIs in language a non-engineer can follow (the waiter and kitchen analogy). Postman is also the tool most founders end up using to poke an API by hand before automating it. Reading this first means you can find an API key, read the docs, and test an endpoint without a developer.

  • An API is a defined way for two pieces of software to talk
  • Most SaaS tools expose a REST API even when they lack integrations
  • You can test an API call by hand before wiring it into automation

The question it answers

  1. How do I connect two tools that don't have a native integration without paying for expensive automation plans?

Read with it

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  2. Webhooks are the primitive that makes ad hoc integrations possible: they are how one app pings another the instant something... Zapier Article · Long read What are webhooks? Zapier
  3. Founders confuse webhooks and APIs constantly, and picking the wrong one wastes days. This piece draws the line cleanly: a... Zapier Article · ~10 min read Webhook vs. API: Differences and when to use each Zapier
  4. Video What is a Webhook? Webhooks for Beginners YouTube
  5. Video · ~5 min API Explained in 5 Minutes (for beginners) YouTube
  6. Course · ~2 hours APIs for Beginners: How to use an API (full course) Craig Dennis
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