As modern technology advances rapidly, only some companies, businesses, or software development firms can create the functionality required to integrate with other third-party tools and platforms.
Rather than reinventing the wheel and developing core functionality from scratch on every application, businesses today opt to use application programming interfaces (APIs) and strategically designed user interfaces (UIs) to speed up the development lifecycle and bring their products to market at a faster pace.
Weāre going to discuss the power of APIs compared to user interfaces when it comes to portal maps and visibility in logistics and transportation applications, as well as how an API can assist with data mapping and data cleansing in the logistics, shipping, and freight industries.
An API or āApplication Programming Interfaceā is a technical term for a set of functions that allow external applications to interact with functionality provided by another application.
A simple example of an API would be a smartphone app that wants to show the weather to a user. Instead of developing an entire weather station application and figuring out how to parse weather data from live weather stations, the application developer would use an API (Application Programming Interface) to connect to existing weather functionality.
By ācallingā or āimplementingā this weather API into their mobile app, they saved countless development hours and used already-written software that has been proven to work.
In short, APIs allow developers to implement or āintegrateā functionality into their application to complement it and provide increased user functionality. In many SaaS (software-as-a-service) applications, API implementations are called āintegrations.ā
When an API is implemented and integrated into an application, it works as one with the application.
User Interfaces (UIs) are often dashboards, web portals, or software windows composed of buttons, interactive elements, maps, and other intuitive features that enable users to view essential information at a glance and control the functions of an application.
Compared to an API that is integrated directly into an application and ābecomes oneā with the application it was implemented into, a user interface must be independently designed and implemented to match the desired functionality of an application.
In short, user interfaces are how a user and a computer system or software suite interact. UIs are used for real-time freight and delivery tracking in the logistics and freight industries.
Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) or User Interfaces (UI) are implemented into software applications to make it easy for users to interact with the application and perform the actions theyād like to use it for.
When GUIs are implemented to parse logistics data, some of their primary advantages include the following:
Some of the cons and disadvantages of Graphical User Interfaces include the following:
There are distinct pros and cons to using an API for logistics data, especially if you have never developed a logistics processing framework. By using an API or logistics API integration, youāll be able to cut down on development times and use a proven implementation that you know works without any issues.
Suppose your business utilizes an API specifically designed for freight tracking, transportation, and logistics. In that case, you can avoid building a user interface (UI) and front-end entirely, instead utilizing the functionality present within the API to perform all of your tracking functions.
Some of the benefits of APIs for logistics data include:
Some of the cons of APIs for logistics implementations include:
When a business decides to be API first, they consciously decide to make everything centered around its API. This includes building all of the functionality within their platform with API accessibility in mind rather than adding an API at a future date as a second thought.
When your business decides to be API-first and takes this approach to develop your software or platform, youāre essentially āfuture-proofingā your company and saving significant time and development costs in the future.
In the logistics, freight, and shipping industries, an API can also include freight tracking technology and portals/visibility maps, reducing development time by eliminating the need to create a separate User Interface (UI) or front-end.
If you build your applications with APIs in mind, youāll structure your application much differently than a competitor who builds their application as one controlled entirely by a user interface. If you donāt build with an API in mind and decide to add an API in the future, the framework of your application will likely have to be uprooted and rewritten significantly.
If youāre currently planning to implement location data into your logistics application or programmatic implementation, using an API is ideal as it provides better data standardization and opportunities to scale.
When using location data APIs, such as the data lake APIs from Kestrel Insights, youāll be able to store and process large amounts of data quickly in a central location. This will allow you to index, catalog, and crawl your data to understand exactly what each data lake contains through API integration.
A logistics API and API logistics implementations allow you to level ahead of the competition, especially regarding freight API uses and API vs. UI use cases. The difference between API and user interface must be noticed, especially regarding future scalability.
If your organization is ready to take the next step and begin leveling up your data mapping and cleansing capabilities with an API-first partner, Kestrel Insights has developed precise and automated geofencing solutions that are robust and can significantly amplify your bottom line.
Using the Kestrel Insights API, youāll be able to implement visibility portals, maps, and freight tracking in record time without developing a separate front-end or user interface (UI) for identical functionality.
If youād like to learn more about our API-first approach with geofencing and request a demo from Kestrel Insights, reach out to our team today. Weāll be happy to show you what our geofencing API can do for your business.