Software-as-a-Service

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a software delivery model in which a software application is hosted by a third-party provider and made available to customers over the internet.

Customers can access software and its functionality through a web browser or a mobile app without having to install or maintain it on their own servers. The SaaS provider is responsible for managing the infrastructure, security, and maintenance of the software.

SaaS is a type of cloud computing that enables customers to pay for the software on a subscription basis, usually on a monthly or annual basis. This allows companies of all sizes to access enterprise-level software without having to invest in expensive infrastructure and maintenance costs. Examples of SaaS include Salesforce, G Suite, Zoom, and Slack. SaaS is widely adopted in many industries, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), e-commerce, human resource management, project management, marketing automation, and many more. SaaS and APIs have a close relationship, as SaaS providers often use APIs to make their software available to customers.

APIs allow SaaS providers to expose the functionality of their software to external systems and applications. This allows customers to integrate the SaaS with other systems and automate workflows, such as integrating a SaaS CRM with a marketing automation tool or accounting SaaS with a website e-commerce platform.

APIs also allow SaaS providers to offer customization options to their customers, such as the ability to create custom reports or automate certain business processes. This allows customers to tailor the SaaS to their specific needs. With this understanding of the relationship between SaaS and APIs, you will learn to think about APIs as products in the next section.