API

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a connection layer that lets two separate software systems talk to each other and exchange data. Rather than manually transferring information between platforms, an API handles it automatically in the background.

There are two basic types: push and pull. A push API sends data from one system to another when something happens. A pull API retrieves data from another system on request.

In an HR context, the most common use case is integration between separate platforms. A company might run its HR and payroll operations on one system and handle accounting on another. Without an API, financial data would need to be exported from one and imported into the other manually. With one, the HR system pushes the relevant financial data to the accounting software automatically, keeping both systems in sync without the extra work.

The same principle applies across any combination of systems an organization uses. APIs are the standard method for connecting external platforms without building custom integrations from scratch.