IDE, SDK, API

IDE

The integrated development Environment (ide,integrated development environment) is an application for the provider development environment, typically including tools such as code editors, compilers, debuggers, and graphical user interfaces. Integration of code writing function, analysis function, compile function, debugging function and other integrated development software service sets. All software or software sets (groups) with this feature can be called integrated development environments. such as Microsoft's Visual Studio series, Borland C + + Builder, Delphi series and so on. The program can be run independently or in combination with other programs.

Now the more popular IDE has codeblocks, Eclipse, etc., theIDE is simply to assist the programmer to write code , of course, there are some big-god programmers like to use a plain text editor to write code.

SDK

Software Development Kit (Foreign language initials: SDK, Foreign language full name: Software Development Kit) are typically software engineers for specific packages, software frameworks, hardware platforms, A collection of development tools, such as the operating system, when building applications.

The SDK is a very broad concept , generally we refer to the SDK to describe which development environment is the SDK. For example: The Android SDK is used to develop Android software, and the Windows SDK is used to develop applications on the Windows platform. The most common JDK (Java development Kit) is used to develop Java applications and is also one of the SDKs.

API

APIs (application Programming Interface, application programming interfaces) are pre-defined functions designed to provide the ability of applications and developers to access a set of routines based on a piece of software or hardware without having to access the source code. Or understand the details of the internal working mechanism.

The advantage of the API is that programmers can call some functions or methods directly, but do not need to know exactly what these functions or methods are.

differences and links between SDK and API

The SDK and API are intersecting, but not completely coincident. In addition to providing some development tools, the SDK also contains some APIs. For example, there are many class libraries in the JDK, and these libraries are the Win32 APIs included in the Api,windows SDK. But there are some APIs that are completely independent, like some web-provided APIs that are not included in any SDK, such as the Google Maps API, which translates the API.

IDE, SDK, API