Encyclopedia / Backend
API
A defined way for one program to ask another for data or actions.
On the web this is usually HTTP endpoints that return JSON, such as GET /api/projects or POST /api/contact. The frontend calls the API, the API talks to the database and other services, and secrets stay on the server.
const res = await fetch('/api/projects');
const projects = await res.json();Related terms
Where it shows up in a page load
- Step 6: Database query. Dynamic pages often need data such as a user's projects or the latest posts, so the function queries a database and puts the results into HTML or JSON. Static sites skip this step entirely.
Watch the full request journey →
More in Backend
Code and data that run on a server instead of in the visitor's browser.