API Services Overview

API Services represent independently operating logic which follows the request-response pattern. An API service contains one or more operation which has a dedicated endpoint available on a network. An operation may have zero or more arguments and may return a value which is the result of the operation.

An API Service may be specific for a backend application or may provide general purpose functionality. For example, an API service which implements specific business rules for a hotel booking app has a specialized purpose. However, an API service which generates QR codes for the given input would be considered general purpose.

Backendless supports both types of services, though it does not distinguish between them as it is the logic inside of a service which makes it either a specialized or a general purpose one.