APIs Part 2: Google Maps, as an example 


If we take Google Maps’ API, it actually starts out free, allowing for 28,500 API calls or maploads per month without charge. This means we can benefit from all of Google’s state of the art engineering and thinking for free, as long as we use their platform.

Every time our website or application calls the Google Maps API, we get to access the Google Maps service in a predictable, pre-defined and speedy way. We don’t have to build our own maps software. We simply have our machine interact with Google Maps’ machines via an API call to leverage their existing software. P.S. Did you know a little under 10% of Google Maps’ revenue comes from consumer and partnership API usage?

Microservices

Your machine, whether an mobile app, website or system, can lervage multiple API microservices. Like Google Maps’ API for directions or map services, Facebook API to leverage existing accounts, VISA or MasterCard APIs to take payment, WhatsApp APIs for human or AI customer support, and a FedEx API for shipping and transportation. APIs offer a comparative advantage versus building your own solution. Cost scales with usage. 

Create your own APIs

You can create your own API, too. For example, you work in a bank. Your organization needs to check that prospects opening accounts aren’t already customers.. So they can build a set of inputs (name, ID details, date of birth, postcode) that are used to make the API call. If they do or don’t match, a specific response is returned for your front end to interpret and action accordingly.