What is an API?

API stands for application programming interface. It’s a system that lets different applications communicate with each other easily.

A great analogy is an electrical socket. Many different sources can provide power to the light socket in your home. It can be from solar, wind, or even nuclear – they all provide power to your light socket. On the other end is what you connect to the light socket. It could be your cell phone, power drill, or TV – they all receive the electricity from that wall socket.

An API works just like that system – as long as the standard is set, any application can communicate. In the electricity example, if the right kind of electrical current is being sent and the outlet’s size and shape are standardized (standard), it all works (communicates).

Shopmonkey uses REST APIs to connect to your applications. When connecting to the Shopmonkey API, your application can access Customers, Orders, Users, Vehicles, and Inventory.

Why might you use an API with Shopmonkey? An API can be used for periodic updates or to transfer bulk information from Shopmonkey to another application. For example, if you want to update your CRM with new customer data each morning, or if you want all of your orders uploaded into a BI tool, the API can help with that.

Please Note: There are specific contracts that requests must adhere to when using the API, especially when creating and updating data. Please refer to Shopmonkey Developer for more information.

Using an API requires technical skills. Writing code, computer science knowledge, and development experience are a minimum when using an API. If you are comfortable with your technical skills, check out this Shopmonkey Developer Authentication API page for more information on how to connect to the Shopmonkey API.