7.4.2 Web Servers, APIs

When you type a website address into your browser, a lot happens behind the scenes to get you the page:

Web Servers: A web server is a powerful computer that stores website files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, videos, etc.) and delivers them to your web browser when you request them. It's like a librarian who fetches the book you want from the library shelves. When you visit www.google.com, a Google web server receives your request and sends you the Google homepage files. Web servers are always connected to the Internet and waiting for requests.
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces): An API is like a menu at a restaurant. It tells you what "dishes" (services or data) you can "order" and how to order them from another program or service. In the world of web, APIs allow different software programs to talk to and share information with each other in a structured way. For example, when a weather app shows you the forecast, it's probably getting that information from a weather service's API. This means the weather app doesn't need to collect all the weather data itself; it just asks another service for it using its API. APIs are crucial for building complex applications that use features from many different sources.

Bibliography:

What is a web server? (2024, May 22). Mozilla Developer Network Web Docs.https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Web_mechanics/What_is_a_web_server
What is an API? (n.d.). Red Hat. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/api/what-is-api
What is an API? (2024, May 22). Cloudflare. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/api/what-is-api/