What's the difference between an API and a SDK?
Make it harder? Explain it to a 10-year old kid.
Let's spice things up with some yummy & my fav chole bhature! Imagine you are preparing chole bhature. To get there, you have two paths:
1. Spice drawer adventure: This is like using an API.
Think of your kitchen as a treasure chest of spices like cumin, coriander, garam masala, and ginger-garlic paste. Each spice represents a specific task or information from another system.
An API acts like a genie in a lamp, letting you sprinkle exactly the right amount of these spices into your pot (your app) when you need them. You'll need to know which spices go where, how much to add, and how to stir them together to create that magical chole bhature flavor – the recipe is all yours!
2. Ready-to-roll kit: This is like using an SDK. Imagine getting a special delivery box brimming with pre-measured spices, chopped onions and tomatoes, and even fluffy bhature dough!
An SDK is like this kit – it gives you all the prepped ingredients you need to build something specific, in this case, an app for a particular platform (smartphone, tablet, etc.).
It comes with ready-made code, libraries, and tools that are perfectly blended for that platform, making it easier and faster to cook up your app. You still need to follow the recipe (the SDK's instructions) to get everything perfectly seasoned, but the basic dish is already simmering for you!
If you want to understand APIs & SDKs in depth, I would recommend you to check my cohort on Tech for Product Managers. (Start your 2024 with a learning resolution). Checkout launch discount now!
So, in the world of chole bhature:
API: Individual spices – offers freedom and control, but requires more effort to blend.
SDK: Ready-to-roll kit – quicker and simpler, but less flexibility to adjust the blend.
Which one you choose depends on your hunger pangs and cooking skills, right?
I hope this chole bhature analogy makes the API vs. SDK thing a bit more flavorful! Nevertheless, checkout some common tech questions asked in Product Manager interview round!
1. Explain the difference between an API and an SDK, and when would you choose one over the other?
2. Describe a situation where you used an API/SDK to build a product feature. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
3. Can you discuss the security considerations when using APIs or SDKs in a product?
To learn more, checkout Tech for PMs here - https://www.xplainerr.com/workshops/tech-for-product-managers