The Introduction to Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) course provides a clear, beginner-friendly introduction to APIs. This training is designed for epidemiologists and public health professionals who are new to APIs.

APIs are essential tools in modern technology, connecting applications, websites, and services to each other. Over the course of six lessons, learners will explore what APIs are, how they work, and how they are used to enable applications to communicate seamlessly. Learners will recognize the fundamentals of APIs without needing prior knowledge of coding technologies.

Course objectives:

1. Define what an API is. 
2. Explain how APIs enable communication between software systems.
3. Recognize the structure and components of an API.
4. Describe real-world examples of API usage. 
5. Explain basic API requests and response formats. 
6.  Describe the components of API security. 
7. Describe the principles of REST APIs. 
8. Explain how APIs facilitate access to public health data to identify and monitor public health threats.

 

This training series was funded by CDC Cooperative Agreement No: 1 NU38OT000297-03-00. The contents of this training are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC. The content was developed by Dr. Kelley Chester and Mr. Josh Levy of Thought Bridge LLC.

 

Competencies: 

• 1.4 – Data Analytics and Assessment Skills – Conducts surveillance activities
• 1.6 – Data Analytics and Assessment Skills – Manages data
• 2.3 – Public Health Sciences Skills – Applies public health informatics in using epidemiologic data, information, and knowledge