What is the term for a way for software programs to communicate with each other?

• A. Open-Source Model
• B. API (Application Programming Interface)
• C. Regression Analysis
• D. Dataset

Answer: (B)

An API (Application Programming Interface) is the way software programs talk to each other. It defines the set of operations another program can perform, the data formats to send and receive, and the rules for accessing those services. This creates a stable contract so one program can use features or data from another without needing to know how the other one is built. For example, a weather app might call a weather service’s API to get current conditions, using a defined HTTP request and receiving data in a common format like JSON. The other terms describe different ideas: an open-source model is about how software is developed and shared, regression analysis is a statistical method, and a dataset is a collection of data, not a communication mechanism.