Types of APIs in Coding / Software Development
Ask by Anubhav Sharma
Updated 08 Jan 2026
There are 5 main types of APIs:
(Plus internal/private APIs, public APIs, partner APIs, etc.)
1. REST API (Representational State Transfer)
REST is the most commonly used API type on the web. It uses standard HTTP methods to allow communication between a client and a server.
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Use Case
Example
2. SOAP API (Simple Object Access Protocol)
SOAP is a protocol-based API with strict standards and strong security features. It uses XML for communication.
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Use Case
Example
3. GraphQL API
GraphQL allows clients to request only the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching of data.
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Use Case
Example
4. gRPC API
gRPC is a high-performance API framework developed by Google. It uses Protocol Buffers and HTTP/2.
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Example
5. WebSocket API
WebSocket provides real-time, two-way communication between client and server over a single persistent connection.
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Example
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