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Knowledge base · catalog

API Knowledge Base. Start anywhere.

Everything you need to know about APIs and APIContext — how APIs work, why they matter, and how to test and monitor them.

Everything you needed to know about APIs and APIContext (but were afraid to ask)

If you’re even marginally around the tech world, you’ve probably heard of APIs. They’re an integral part of pretty much everything you do online, whether it’s on a computer or in an app. So, it’s natural that you want to know more about them. Our API Information Knowledge Base is designed to help guide you through.

For example – what the heck is an API? What kinds of API data are there? How can you test it before you go live, and how can you monitor an API to make sure it’s doing what you want it to do?

And what is something called REST?! Sounds like it’s slacking off.

So, you have questions. And lucky for you, here at APIContext, we’ve got answers. Answers to questions you were embarrassed to ask, and even some questions you didn’t know you needed to ask.

So without further ado, please check out our knowledge base, linked to the left. And make sure to visit every once in a while, as we’ll be adding more so you can talk about APIs with confidence – no matter who you are! 

Even if it’s your job to explain them to others, these articles might give you some help in doing so. They’re written for people who are not experts.

And if you want to know about some specific we haven’t covered here, then just let us know – we’re here to help. Happy reading!

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Knowledge Base

Catalog · 12 entries

Everything you need to know about APIs and APIContext — how they work, why they matter, and how to test and monitor them.

Catalog · 01

Knowledge Base

Open the Knowledge Base section.

4 min
Catalog · 02

API Testing: Frequently Asked Questions

In API testing you test the various components of the API both directly and in action with the site itself.

3 min
Catalog · 03

What Is An API?

Learn what an API is, what it does, and why it matters for web development and programming.

5 min
Catalog · 04

RESTful APIs Explained

A clear introduction to REST and RESTful APIs for web developers and technical managers.

7 min
Catalog · 05

Cloud APIs

Understand what cloud APIs are, how they work, and why your business needs them to leverage cloud services.

9 min
Catalog · 06

API Examples

If some companies just made a little more effort and investment in their APIs, the results of these API examples would look very different.

3 min
Catalog · 07

REST API

Learn what a REST API is, why your website needs one, and how it enables communication with external services.

5 min
Catalog · 08

Bank APIs

They are the building blocks of any online transaction with the bank. Let’s take a look at some common bank API issues.

7 min
Catalog · 09

Understanding the API Economy

Explore how APIs power the digital economy and why they are integral to everything you do online.

9 min
Catalog · 10

API Monitoring Basics

Learn how API monitoring reveals real user behavior so you can optimize how your site actually works.

3 min
Catalog · 11

API Tutorials

Creating and using APIs doesn’t have to be that hard. We scoured the web and found some of the best API tutorials around that can help you get started.

5 min
Catalog · 12

Government APIs

What are we talking about when we discuss API data? When it comes to government APIs we are talking about publicly available information.

7 min
Catalog · 13

Open APIs

Use Open API software to create APIs without building from scratch — save time and money.

9 min

Understanding APIs

Foundations · 10 entries

A guide to the API ecosystem, critical monitoring technologies, and how APIContext fits into your DevOps world.

Foundations · 01

Understanding APIs

Open the Understanding APIs section.

4 min
Foundations · 02

API Gateway

Learn what an API gateway does, how it manages access and traffic, and how APIContext complements it with active monitoring.

3 min
Foundations · 03

API Ratings

Rate and monitor the quality of third-party APIs you consume, not just the ones you build and control.

5 min
Foundations · 04

API Monitoring For Dummies

API monitoring basics: why enterprises using 1,000+ APIs still struggle with monitoring and how to do it right.

7 min
Foundations · 05

Service Level Objectives

How to define and measure Service Level Objectives (SLOs) and how they relate to Service Level Agreements.

9 min
Foundations · 06

APIContext Global Coverage

APIContext’s cross-cloud Global Monitoring Network for containerized environments, with custom location deployment.

3 min
Foundations · 07

Advanced API Monitoring

Why dedicated API monitoring matters beyond cloud-native and stack monitoring tools in your DevOps toolchain.

5 min
Foundations · 08

Why API Monitoring – Problems

Why you should monitor APIs separately from your existing IT monitoring stack and the problems it solves.

7 min
Foundations · 09

KPIs for APIs – Key Performance Indicators

Define and track API KPIs to understand performance impact on your services, users, and partners.

9 min
Foundations · 10

CASC – Cloud API Service Consistency Score

CASC scoring simplifies API KPI data into a single meaningful quality score, improving on systems like Apdex.

3 min
Foundations · 11

SLA for APIs: Monitoring Your API SLA (Service Level Agreement)

How to measure and manage API SLAs — choosing the right factors, setting expectations, and tracking compliance.

5 min

APIContext User Guide

Product · 15 entries

Guides to APIContext features and services, including Open Banking monitoring, SLA tracking, and more.

Product · 01

APIContext User Guide

Open the APIContext User Guide section.

4 min
Product · 02

API Monitoring Frequency – how much is too much?

How to choose the right API monitoring frequency — from once per second to daily, and when each makes sense.

3 min
Product · 03

Tutorial: Handling Microsoft Graph API Auth

Tutorial: how to make secure API calls to Microsoft Graph API endpoints and monitor them with APIContext.

5 min
Product · 047 min
Product · 05

APIContext Case Study Power Utility

Case study: how Shell Energy (formerly First Utility) uses APIContext to increase throughput without adding capacity.

9 min
Product · 06

APIContext Case Study Government APIs

Case study: how New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment monitors APIs with APIContext.

3 min
Product · 07

Automated Postman Collection Monitoring

Automated Postman Collection Monitoring with APIContext’s global cross-cloud network — no manual setup required.

5 min
Product · 08

Make an API Call

Make your first API call with APIContext — if you can type a URL in a browser, you can do it.

7 min
Product · 09

APIContext AI-Based Reporting and Analytics

APIContext's AI-based reporting cuts through API metrics noise to answer the key questions about performance.

9 min
Product · 10

Easy DNS Monitoring with APIContext

APIContext Guides easy DNS Monitoring

3 min
Product · 11

Tutorial: Schedule API Calls

Schedule repeated API calls with APIContext — set frequency, locations, and automated monitoring workflows.

5 min
Product · 12

Types of API Calls

All API call types supported by APIContext — REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and more for SOA, mobile, and SaaS.

7 min
Product · 13

PSD2

What is PSD2, how does it change banking, and what does the EU’s Revised Payment Service Directive mean for APIs?

9 min
Product · 14

API Monitoring Features

APIContext's complete API monitoring suite: reporting, alerting, analysis, and real API call testing.

3 min
Product · 15

Who Uses APIContext

From developers and DevOps to the C-suite — who uses APIContext and why across the digital business.

5 min
Product · 16

White Papers

APImetrics Guides White Papers White Papers Our most recent paper

7 min

Free API Tools

Tools · 12 entries

Free API tools and datasets from APIContext: performance dashboards, regional data, and reference test servers.

Tools · 01

Free API Tools

Open the Free API Tools section.

4 min
Tools · 02

Cross Cloud API Latency Analysis

API latency heat map comparing GET request performance across Google locations from AWS, Azure, IBM, and Google.

3 min
Tools · 03

HTTPbin Network

Free HTTPbin test API servers from APIContext — measure performance from multiple locations, no setup required.

5 min
Tools · 04

US Government API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext tracks US government API performance with ratings for quality, latency, and uptime from global data centers.

7 min
Tools · 05

UK Government API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext tracks UK government API performance — GOV.UK, Police.uk, Met Office, NHS, and more.

9 min
Tools · 06

Social Networking API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext rates social networking API performance — find out which APIs work best with free reports.

3 min
Tools · 07

Search API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext tracks search API performance for Google, Bing, Foursquare, and more with free rating reports.

5 min
Tools · 08

PSD2 Sandbox API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext rates PSD2 sandbox APIs used by open banking and fintech — quality, latency, and uptime data.

7 min
Tools · 09

Cryptocurrency Exchange API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext tracks cryptocurrency exchange API performance with quality, latency, and uptime ratings worldwide.

9 min
Tools · 10

COVID19 API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext tracks COVID-19 API performance — quality, latency, and uptime ratings for CDC and other providers.

3 min
Tools · 11

Corporate API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext rates corporate APIs from Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, and hundreds more for quality and uptime.

5 min
Tools · 12

CMA9 Open Data API Ratings Dashboards

APIContext tracks FCA-mandated CMA9 Open Data API performance for UK banks — products, branches, and ATMs.

7 min
Tools · 13

API Ratings Dashboards

Free API ratings dashboards from APIContext — detailed rankings and analysis on APIs you use or depend on.

9 min
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