🔗 What is an API? Let’s Understand with the IRCTC Example 🚆
An API (Application Programming Interface) allows one application to access the business logic or functionality of another application — without needing to re-implement it.

Let’s take a real-life example to make this clearer.

Have you ever booked a train ticket on apps like PhonePe, MakeMyTrip, or Paytm 🤔?

"Before I understood what an API is, I used to think the same as you might be thinking — 'Do all these apps write their own train booking logic?'"

But after learning the reality, I was shocked! 😲

Now my answer is a big, bold NO! ❌
And after reading this, you’ll also say it loud and clear — Big NO! 😉

🚀 Enter the Game Changer

👉 😎The API (Application Programming Interface) 😎👈

🎯 The Real Magic: IRCTC APIs

You can search trains, check seat availability, and book tickets directly from PhonePe or MakeMyTrip.

But here’s the truth:
These apps do not write IRCTC’s backend logic.
That logic is already built and maintained by IRCTC.

Instead, these apps call IRCTC’s APIs to use that logic and functionality.

When you book a train ticket on PhonePe, here’s what actually happens behind the scenes:

1. 🧑‍💻 You search for trains (e.g., Hyderabad to Delhi on June 1st).
   
   

2. 📲 PhonePe sends a request to IRCTC’s API with your search details.
   
   

3. 🔍 IRCTC’s backend processes the request — checks trains, seat availability, etc.
   
   

4. 🎫 You select a train and hit Book Now.
   
   

5. 🔒 PhonePe sends a booking request to IRCTC via the API.
   
   

6. ✅ Once IRCTC confirms the ticket, it sends back a response (PNR, seat info, etc.).
   
   

7. 📱 PhonePe shows you the final ticket info on screen.
   
   
   

🤯 So Wait...Wait... Answer to me Now Who Actually Books the Ticket?

👉 It's not PhonePe, not MakeMyTrip .
🛠️ It’s IRCTC😳 doing all the heavy lifting using its own business logic💪💪.

💡Final OutCome

    An API allows one app to use the business logic of another app, without rebuilding it from scratch.

That’s how you book a train from PhonePe, but the real work is done by IRCTC, behind the scenes — thanks to the power    of APIs! 💥