All You Need to Know About SDK and API

Software development kits (SDKs) and Application programming interfaces (APIs) are two important software tools that developers can use to develop apps. Both SDKs and APIs are used to build software applications in a specific programming language or framework. However, the main difference between SDK and API is that while an API is a set of methods or functions that you can call from your application, an SDK is a set of libraries, samples, and other resources necessary for developers to create applications on top of your platform. In this article, we will look at some of the key differences between SDK and API as well as their similarities.

What is an SDK?

SDK stands for Software Development Kit. It is a set of tools, libraries, and other resources that allow developers to create applications on top of your platform. Often, an SDK has one or multiple programming languages associated with it. An SDK can be hosted online or locally installed on a computer. You can use an SDK to create applications that integrate with your platform or software. Depending on your developer tools or SDKs, companies can build products on top of your platform or software. For example, if you create a photo-sharing app, you can provide SDKs so that other developers can build applications on top of your app, like photo editing apps, collage apps, etc.

How SDK works

Generally, the developers create an SDK to access a platform or software’s functionality in order to build applications. They can also create custom functionality on top of these platforms. They can use SDKs to access APIs and functions like accessing data, managing users, or building a new interface on top of an existing platform. For example, let’s say you are creating a new online photo editing software. You can create SDKs to allow other developers to build photo editing apps on top of your software. For instance, they can build a collage or photo editing app. The SDKs will include code or instructions that developers can use to access your photo editing platform. They can use the SDKs to access the functions or APIs of your platform to build their own photo editing apps.

What is an API?

An API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a set of instructions or a set of functions that you can use to build software applications. You can use APIs to access data, information, or other functionalities from an existing platform. For example, if you are building a new app, you can use an API to access data from an existing database like social media feeds, weather information, etc. You can also use an API to access login details, allowing users to log in to your app with their existing credentials. You can essentially use an API to integrate two or more systems together or access data from another platform. You can also use APIs to share information between systems. For example, you can use an API to send data from your system to another without knowing the exact IP address or details about the system. In short, an API is essentially a set of instructions that allows you to integrate with another platform or system.

Similarities between SDK and API

Both SDKs and APIs are used to develop applications. SDKs and APIs are used to build software applications in a specific programming language or framework. Both SDKs and APIs provide developers with the functionality of another platform or software.

Differences between SDK and API

● An API is a set of instructions or functions that you call from your application to perform a specific task. If you want to update or add data to a database, you need to know the API details to perform the task. On the other hand, SDK is a set of libraries, samples, and other resources necessary for developers to create applications on top of your platform.
● An API is used to build software applications in a specific programming language or framework. In contrast, an SDK is a set of tools and resources that allow you to build software applications on top of a specific platform.
● An API does not consist of the source code. While an SDK includes source code that developers can use to build software applications on top of your platform.
● An API does not include any necessary libraries or source code, but an SDK includes libraries, samples, and other resources that developers can use to create software applications on top.  

Conclusion

The main difference between SDK and API is that an API is a set of instructions or functions you call from your application. In contrast, an SDK is a set of libraries, samples, and other resources necessary for developers to create applications on top of your platform.