API stands for Application Programming Interface. In the context of APIs, the word Application refers to any software with a distinct function. Interface can be thought of as a contract of service between two applications. This contract defines how the two communicate with each other using requests and responses.

Why Do Programmers Use API?
Programmers use API to easily synchronize data between application and device. What programmers do is manage their application cross device desktop app, mobile app and web app with different programming languages. Can you imagine that if they use their own data on each app, data will be messy across devices.

How do programmers build API?
There are so many ways programmers can build an API, they can use many programming languages to build an API such as PHP, JS, PHYTON, GOLANG, etc. They can use logic on the backend to receive requests from the users and expose response of the application they builded to users.

Benefit using API?
1. Centralize data
2. Easy data maintenance
3. Easy to work cross device

Conclusion
API for programmers is an easier way to build application cross devices.