Ivory: Building Composite APIs

What is Composite API?

A composite API is an interface that combines multiple individual APIs into a unified endpoint, allowing developers to access multiple functionalities through a single integration point.

Imagine you have different apps on your phone, each serving a specific purpose. Now, let’s say you want to perform a task that requires using multiple apps simultaneously. A composite API is like a virtual app that brings together the functionalities of those individual apps, allowing you to access and use them conveniently from one place without needing to switch between apps. It simplifies your experience by providing a unified interface, making it easier to accomplish complex tasks efficiently.

In the realm of software development, a composite API refers to an interface that combines multiple separate APIs into a single, cohesive endpoint. It acts as an intermediary layer that aggregates and orchestrates data and functionality from various underlying APIs.

Developers often encounter situations where they need to integrate multiple APIs to accomplish a specific task. However, working with each API individually can be complex and time-consuming. A composite API solves this problem by providing a unified interface that abstracts away the underlying complexity.

By utilizing a composite API, developers can access multiple APIs and their functionalities through a single integration point. It eliminates the need for developers to interact with each API separately, handle authentication, and manage data transformation or synchronization between different APIs.

The composite API acts as a façade, encapsulating the underlying APIs and providing a simplified and standardized interface to interact with. It abstracts the differences and inconsistencies between the individual APIs, enabling developers to streamline their development process and create more efficient and scalable applications.

Additionally, composite APIs often offer additional capabilities such as data composition, aggregation, caching, and error handling. They provide a higher level of abstraction, allowing developers to focus on the core functionality they need, rather than dealing with the intricacies of each individual API.

In summary, a composite API simplifies the integration process by consolidating multiple APIs into a single interface, abstracting complexities, and providing additional features to enhance the development experience.