API

How it works

• A service publishes a set of requests it will accept, such as create an invoice or list contacts.
• A program sends a request with a key that proves it is allowed, and gets a structured answer back.
• Tools like Zapier and Power Automate use APIs so non-programmers can connect apps.
• An API key works like a password for a program: keep it limited, stored safely and removed when the tool is retired.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A four-person clinic's receptionist re-typed every online booking into the practice system by hand, two hours a day. A typo in a phone number meant a missed reminder and an empty chair. The booking tool and the practice system both had APIs that had never been connected.

How WILDCARD handles it

Cloud covers which apps are connected to your Microsoft 365 or Google tenant and what they can reach. Connecting tools through their APIs is the kind of work that becomes a Projects engagement.

• A dental office connects its online booking form to its practice management system.
• A law firm's intake form creates a matter in its case software and a folder in SharePoint.
• A retailer's Shopify orders flow into QuickBooks without re-keying.

Example scenario: A small non-profit had donations arriving on a web form and a volunteer copying them into the donor database weekly. A one-afternoon API connection made each gift appear in the database the moment it was given, with the thank-you email sent automatically. The volunteer got her Saturdays back.

A question owners ask

Are APIs a security risk?

An API key is a password for a program. Treat it like one: limited scope, stored properly, and removed when the connection is no longer used. Review connected apps a couple of times a year.