Getting started with APIs

An API is a versatile tool to access data from a database or website in a structured format that makes it possible to be used by another application. It also makes it possible to commit changes back to the database. 

In this interactive workshop held at the Access 2023 conference in Halifax, NS, we started by introducing general principles about what an API is, how it works and how it can be useful. Then we used simple tools to explore a range of APIs and learn how to interpret results and troubleshoot issues. A second session in the afternoon offered opportunities for participants to dig deeper into their own use cases.