Twitter recently announced they will no longer support free access to the Twitter API. Everyone seems up in arms about it and I can’t figure out what an API even is. What would doing something like this actually affect?
I’ve tried looking up what an API is, but I can’t really wrap my head around it.
Edit: I’ve had so many responses to read through and there’s been a ton of helpful explanations! Much appreciated everyone 🙂 thanks for keeping this doofus in the know
In: 419
APIs allow people to build apps and websites that are able to communicate with Twitter. Say you want to upload a tweet from your PlayStation? An API (from Twitter) is what makes it possible to do that.
It’s common practice that a social media (and others) an API is free to use. It helps drive traffic and engagement up. So it’s a win win.
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