Application Framework Development using Sitecore
Have you ever seen this kind of interface in any of the platforms you are using? Let’s say it’s Instagram. You can sign up for your Instagram account via your Facebook account. Or there may be some other sign-up option you may get while creating accounts on different platforms, let’s say by simply using a google account. Now, what makes these platforms communicate with each other? There’s a technology, shortly known as API.
API stands for Application Programming Interface. Application is a set of codes built to perform a certain task. For example, MS Word is a word processing tool used for typing, storing almost all the content that is mainly composed of words. Similarly, MS Powerpoint is used to create and manage presentations. Since they are software they are called Application software.
Application Programming Interface commonly means a bunch of code written or compiled together to establish a communication between two applications. This communication can be in the form of data exchange. With the help of this technology, services or products of one application can be provided to another application without actually knowing how they are implemented.
This can be better explained by an example. Consider yourself in a restaurant. You ordered the waiter to serve a particular dish. The waiter then goes to the chef and asks him to prepare the dish you demanded. The chef, after cooking the dish, will return to the waiter and at last, the waiter will serve you. Here the waiter acts as an interface between you and the chef.
Similarly, whenever a user requests an API receives a request from one application. As per the request, it then goes to the destined application for service, and then returned to the user.
APIs in real life: The application of APIs, nowadays, can be seen everywhere, for example:
- Use of Google maps in ridesharing apps.
- Embedding youtube videos on your webpage or website.
- Chatbots and Twitter bots
- These all are done to drive heavy traffic into the platform, making the platform more user-friendly and interactive and expanding the digital footprint.
What’s the need for an API?
It makes the platform more interactive and user-friendly.
Having an API in your platform can easily catch customers’ attention. It provides more convenience to the user while using the platform. For example, a Twitter bot called “Grammar Police” is an example used to check the grammatical correctness of tweets.
Improve marketing :With the use of API, the digital footprint will increase, and hence reaching out to the customer increases through different platforms, which subsequently improves marketing. It supports the marketing department .
Customization becomes easy: With API, website or platform customization can be done as per the customer’s or visitors’ needs, making the platform and business more flexible.
Sitecore and API: An Application Framework refers to a software library that provides the fundamental structure for the development of a certain application. It can think just as a skeleton of code. It makes Graphical User Interface (GUI) more interactive. This can be created by using lines of code. For this either knowledge of coding is required or we need to hire some expert. But with the help of Sitecore, this can be achieved without any expertise in coding.
Sitecore’s API has two layers: The delivery layer and the Content layer.
Content layer: Its functionality is to manage content by providing some other functions including editing, storage, and management
Delivery layer: It is responsible for assembling contents into a layout and then delivering it on request. An API enables the delivery layer to request content from the content layer. The presentation layer displays the content layer on the screen. This three-layer in Sitecore is decoupled from each other, resulting in backend functions being separated from front-end functions. Or simpler, its storage (backend) will be independent of its presentation (front-end). This is one of the reasons why Sitecore is known as a ‘headless CMS’.
- In Sitecore, contents are stored in objects, to reuse in applications multiple times.
- The front-end can be designed quickly by developers as there are independencies on the backend.
- The content can be easily published and reviewed by the creator without any kind of support from the developer.
- It collects analytics from users’ web engagement.
With the powerful API of Sitecore, various items can be easily queried by the developers using various technologies from .NET to XSLT and MVC. Sitecore’s CMS provides the flexibility and extensibility of a headless CMS. The content can be created, managed, published, and delivered in almost every interface. It gives complete control over the content and allows for the creation of a responsive user experience.
Integration of Sitecore and e-business is not -at-all so easy. We at Biztechnosys, supports you to build fast and flexible integration which makes the connection between sitecore e-commerce and API easy.
How is it done?
Integrating Sitecore With API
Detecting And Solving Errors
Modifying integration as per the need
