# The Modern Evolution of APIs: From Cloud to Microservices and Beyond
APIs in the Cloud-Native World of Microservices and Kubernetes
## Exploring RESTful, gRPC, and GraphQL in the Era of Cloud-Native Development
We live in a digital economy where [Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)](https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/application-programming-interface)Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are foundational elements for businesses to operate and grow. APIs interconnect individual systems that contain data about people, businesses, and things, enable transactions, and create new products/services and business models ([Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/welcome-to-the-api-economy)Gartner). The popularity of APIs has grown significantly in the last decade or so, but the history of APIs stretches back much further. This two-part eBook series provides a brief history of APIs from the early computing era to today.
In [Part One](/ebooks/apis-rpc-soap-xml)Part One of our "The Evolution of APIs" eBook series, we traced the evolution of APIs from early computing up through the early stages of the internet. Here in Part Two, we consider how the shape and development of APIs have changed as we enter the cloud age of the internet. In this eBook, we discuss the most common API types including [RESTful APIs](https://searchapparchitecture.techtarget.com/definition/RESTful-API)RESTful APIs, [gRPC](https://grpc.io)gRPC, and [GraphQL](https://graphql.org)GraphQL.
IN THIS EBOOK, WE COVER
- - Modern APIs of the Cloud Age
- - The Future of APIs: What's Next?
- - How can the development community prepare for writing the next generation of APIs?