Knowing the request-response cycle is essential to understanding how an API operates. A client contacts a server with a request, and the server replies to the client with a response. The customer submits a request that includes details like the kind of request and the data that needs to be processed. After processing this information, the server replies with the request’s results.

The server typically responds in a format that is easy for the client to understand, such as JSON or XML. The data from the answer can then be used in the application by the client.