API as a service (APIaaS)
Software Engineering; Computational Infrastructure
noun phrase
Definition: A service model in which application programming interfaces are delivered, hosted, managed, and consumed as a cloud-based service, enabling external systems or developers to access functions, data, or integration capabilities through maintained API endpoints rather than through locally deployed software components [NIST].
Example in context: “The system described operates as an API-as-a-Service [16].” [Ali et al. 2024]
Synonyms / variants:
APIaaS; API-as-a-service
Related terms:
API economy; API management; SaaS integration; API gateway; web API