#ItsTheEndOfTheWeek and in this episode our hosts Charles Fallon and David Beaudet are joined by Sabina Sasu to dive into integrations. From the social media apps on your phone to the intricate workings of your company's operations, application programming interfaces (APIs) are a central factor in ensuring the transfer of data and communication between computer programs. In the world of supply chain, APIs are used at every step to enable visibility and facilitate smooth operation.Join Charles, David & Sabina for an insightful discussion into APIs and walk away with a more acute understanding of some key topics: The History of APIs: First published in 1971, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was the preferred method for integration for years. However, as time has gone on and needs have evolved, FTP has become largely obsolete. In particular, the post-2000s boom in web-based stores, media, and more necessitated a seamless and quick transfer of data that FTP could no longer keep up with. APIs emerged to fill that gap, as they offered a simpler means of connecting a database to a website's front-end that enabled end-users to more quickly gain access to the information they needed. Nowadays, the development of APIs such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and Representational State Transfer (REST) have revolutionized the way businesses can deploy integrations in their information systems. SOAP vs REST: While the two protocols share similarities in their HTML-like appearance, they are ultimately used for very different purposes. REST APIs are speedy at transferring data, and can invoke the four fundamental functions of CRUD: create, read, update and delete. SOAP APIs on the other hand are adept at conducting real-world operations, such as facilitating the shipment of a company's sales orders.