Knowledge Center

    API

    The word everyone uses and few can define.

    What does the API category cover?

    What an API is, how REST and webhooks work, and how integrations actually move information between business systems.

    What API covers

    An API is a defined way for one system to ask another system for something. That is the whole idea, and it is worth understanding because almost every integration decision, pricing surprise and data-sync failure traces back to how an API was designed and what it is allowed to do.

    These pages define the vocabulary — endpoints, authentication, rate limits, webhooks, payloads — in plain language, then explain the practical questions: what happens when two systems disagree, why one-way syncs quietly drift, and what to ask a vendor before assuming two products will talk to each other.

    If you are evaluating whether AI can operate your tools, read this category before the MCP category. MCP answers a different question, and the difference only makes sense once APIs are clear.

    What you'll learn

    • What an API is, in terms a non-developer can use in a meeting
    • The difference between polling, webhooks and real-time sync
    • Why integrations drift and how conflicts get resolved
    • The questions to ask before assuming two systems integrate

    Frequently asked questions

    What is an API in simple terms?

    A published set of requests one program can make to another — read this record, create this invoice, tell me when this changes — with rules about who is allowed to ask.

    Does having an API mean two systems will work together?

    No. It means the connection is possible. Whether it is useful depends on which objects are exposed, how often data can be fetched, and whether both systems agree on which one holds the truth.

    What is a webhook?

    A reverse API call: instead of asking repeatedly whether something changed, the other system notifies you the moment it does.

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