An API (Application Programming Interface) is a software bridge that allows two different computer applications to talk to each other and share data automatically. In public administration, APIs are critical because they break down information silos between disconnected departments and public-facing websites, allow smoother integrations between new and legacy software systems, and allow public sector agencies to scale their software systems without having to completely overhaul their software components every time a new need arises.

Not all APIs are created equal. When large software companies purchase new software solutions, they often link the unrelated solutions together with APIs, creating “light integrations” and rebranding the linked solutions as “a single platform.” But those light integrations rarely offer a seamless user experience; rather they often perform like Android software on an iPhone or iOS software on an Android phone – it works, but not as well as it does for the platform it was natively built for.

However, APIs do provide significant value in extending the life of existing legacy systems and allowing unrelated solutions to “speak” to each other. When a government organization has to purchase software for a new need, completely replacing existing legacy software is often cost-prohibitive. Govtech software providers that offer purposely-built APIs to link their solutions to older, legacy, or custom solutions save government agencies considerable money, time, and staffing resources.

All of MaintStar’s software suites, modules, and extensions are integrated at the native code level and operate seamlessly, reliably, securely, and efficiently every time, without using APIs. However, MaintStar engineers can create hard-working APIs between our software solutions and existing custom or legacy systems to save our customers money and optimize the efficient and secure exchange of data between systems.