SDK vs. API: What's the Difference?
SDKs or called Software Development Kits and APIs- (Application Programming Interfaces) are 2 different tools used commonly in today’s software development world.
Both these technologies aim to enhance and extend the software functions.
However, an API or SDK has multiple use cases and focuses on addressing a particular concern in software development pipelines. If you are working with API or SDK, you must learn the differences between them. Being a software developer, you already know the importance of choosing the correct alternative, and what harm a wrong alternative can do.
So, here we will see everything that you need to know about important tools- what each tool does exactly, how they work together, why they are important, and much more.
Let’s dive in and learn more about SDK vs API and their differences!
SDK vs API- Basics
Let’s begin with reading some primary information regarding SDK and API.
What is SDK?
A Software Development Kit, or SDK, is a set of libraries, technologies, tools, and programs used to develop apps for a particular service.
SDKs help users to make platform-specific software for utilizing all the functions and features of that platform. Many SDKs are language-specific. It means a different SDK for each programming language used on a single platform.
Here’s what an SDK comprises:
A compiler that translates the programming code into source code and then into object code
Code libraries allow users to easily communicate with a specific platform and use its capabilities
SDK documentation has how-to guides, usage instructions, code samples, best practices, etc
Debugger helps you find the platform or service-specific errors
SDK brings simplicity. You can simply install and download an SDK and begin development for the specific platforms using their IDEs (Integrated Development Environment). APIs can be a part of the SDK to bring interfacing functions.
Advantages of SDKs
Straightforward and faster integration. With SDK, you get all the necessary integration and essential development libraries.
Direct access to the functionality of the SDK platform and the ability to use them in your app
No need to reinvent the wheel. SDK doesn’t require developers to make functions from scratch to interact with a platform. This process can be done using an SDK.
Developers can use their language for development as many platforms provide SDKs for multiple programming languages
Proper resourcing and costing. Its faster and shorter development cycle reaches proper resource management and lower development costs.
Amazing support. SDKs have documentation with code samples. This allows the developers to easily learn about how to use SDKs.
Developers can easily pick their preferred language for development because the majority of platforms have their SDKs for almost all programming languages.
What is API?
API- Application Programming Interface is a software-to-software interface. It’s an interface that provides a secure and standard way for apps to interact with each other and provide information or functions to each other.
Advantages of API
It is secure even without customization. APIs securely expose platform capacity and information without the requirement of custom integration.
Easy integration between different services and software
It can facilitate distributed software architectures for internal communications that are managed using APIs.
Better productivity is achieved in SDLC by using the reusability factor of APIs
Easy reporting and integration of data analytics functions using data queried using APIs.
Costing is less as no custom efforts for development are needed to interact with the API endpoints
SDK vs API- Key Differences
SDKs and APIs are quite similar. So, it gets harder to understand what are the basic differences between these two. You should choose anyone to make your project work seamlessly.
Another confusion is about the fact that SDKs contain one or more APIs and help us implement them. However, an API will not necessarily have an SDK.
While an API is purpose-built to work on a particular function to make communication between apps, an SDK is a platform that has a set of tools to make these apps.
While APIs allow the interaction between apps, they are not enough to make a whole app.
To understand them easily, APIs are a good alternative if you are looking to add new custom features to your app. However, if you want to make a whole new system then SDK provides you with the set of tools that you have to get for running your app.
Concluding Verdict
We hope that this article has given you some basic idea about what makes APIs and SDKs different. You can stay tuned with us to understand more about SDK vs API. Till then, happy reading!