We can buy, publish, book or choose anything, anywhere. We are more connected to each other and to the world than ever before.
But how does all this happen? How does data travel from one point to another? How do different devices and applications connect with each other to allow us to perform actions such as booking or buying a flight with just a few clicks?
The unsung hero behind this connected world is something called an Application Programming Interface, better known as an API.
Although it operates behind the scenes and we often take it for granted, it is an API that makes possible all the interactivity we are used to and depend on in our daily lives.
What is an API?
An API, in simple terms, is the messenger that is responsible for receiving your requests, communicating them to the system and then returning the corresponding response.
To better understand how it works, let's imagine you are in a restaurant, you have a menu with several options to choose from. In the kitchen, the team is ready to prepare your order. However, there is a crucial link missing that communicates your order to the kitchen and delivers the food back to your table. This is where the waiter comes in, which in this case would be the API. The waiter receives your order, communicates it to the kitchen (the system) and then brings the food (the response) to your table.
A practical example: flight search
A good example of an API in action is when you search for flights online. Just like in a restaurant, you have a "menu" with several options to choose from: city of origin, departure date, destination, flight class, among other variables. You interact with the airline's website to access its database and check if there are seats available, as well as prices according to the parameters you have chosen.
But what if you don't use the airline's website directly, but an online travel service that collects information from several airlines? In this case, the travel service uses the airlines' APIs.
The API is the interface that, like the waiter in our example, requests information from the airline system (seat availability, prices, meal or baggage options) and then returns the response to the online travel service, which shows you the results.
Thus, thanks to APIs, we can use travel platforms that collect data from different airlines and allow us to book flights, customize our preferences and choose additional options, all on the same web page.
Connectivity everywhere
APIs don't just facilitate travel sites; they are fundamental to all interactions between applications, data and devices. They are responsible for enabling computer systems to communicate with each other and ultimately create the connectivity that allows us to access any information or service from wherever we are.
Whenever you think of an API, imagine it as that waiter that goes back and forth between applications, databases and devices, delivering requests and bringing back responses.
MasterBase APIs
The main advantage of the APIs in MasterBase® is that they allow automating actions that are performed manually on the web platform.
Among other things, they make it possible:
- Update your databases in your work environment and on our platform simultaneously.
- Create and send messages from your systems without having to log in to our platform.
- Receive from MasterBase® your shipment metrics
Learn from our APIs
In our web site you will be able to learn about our APIs in video tutorials that cover from the simplest to the most relevant topics, to understand their use and scope.
Access our videos here;
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What is a Web Service and how is it consumed - Part 1: What you should know : Watch video
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What is a Web Service and how is it consumed - Part 2: Examples in Postman : Watch video
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What are MasterBase® APIs and what are they for? Watch video
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API credentials: Why create them and how: Watch video
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MasterBase® APIs for automation: Watch video
In addition, you will be able to review written material to learn how to use the MasterBase® APIs.
Access MasterBase® API consumption guides
Contacts - Manage your contacts
API that makes it possible to synchronize the contact data stored in your internal systems with those of your databases in MasterBase®. Click here
MassiveMail - Manage your mailings
API that allows you to create messages and send mass mailings without having to log in to the MasterBase® platform. Click here
UniqueMail - Manage your unique mailings
API that allows single shipments from internal systems without the need to log into the MasterBase® platform. Click here
Archive - URL storage of individual campaigns
API for uploading and downloading files to and from the MasterBase® cloud for mass mailings. Click here
Config - Query configuration data
API designed to obtain information from the fields of each base. Click here
Access MasterBase® APIs for Process Automation
RDS - Management of records in RDS databases
API that enables remote management of records in an RDS data collection. Click here
File Bunker - File Storage
API that allows the storage of files in a web environment and their subsequent download. Click here
