What does API level mean

Question

I am wondering what exactly API level means  I couldn t seem to find an answer by searching on Google   Could anyone please explain what the term API level means

User · Answer

An API is ready-made source code library.

In Java for example APIs are a set of related classes and interfaces that come in packages. This picture illustrates the libraries included in the Java Standard Edition API. Packages are denoted by their color.

This pictures illustrates the libraries included in the Java Standard Edition API

User · Answer

API level is basically the Android version  Instead of using the Android version name  eg 2 0  2 3  3 0  etc  an integer number is used  This number is increased with each version  Android 1 6 is API Level 4  Android 2 0 is API Level 5  Android 2 0 1 is API Level 6  and so on

User · Answer

This actually sums it up pretty nicely   API Levels generally mean that as a programmer  you can communicate with the devices  built in functions and functionality  As the API level increases  functionality adds up  although some of it can get deprecated    Choosing an API level for an application development should take at least two thing into account    Current distribution - How many devices can actually support my application  if it was developed for API level 9  it cannot run on API level 8 and below  then  only  around 60  of devices can run it  true to the date this post was made   Choosing a lower API level may support more devices but gain less functionality for your app  you may also work harder to achieve features you could ve easily gained if you chose higher API level    Android API levels can be divided to five main groups  not scientific  but what the heck     Android 1 5 - 2 3  Cupcake to Gingerbread  -  API levels 3-10  - Android made specifically for smartphones  Android 3 0 - 3 2  Honeycomb   API levels 11-13  - Android made for tablets  Android 4 0 - 4 4  KitKat  -  API levels 14-19  - A big merge with tons of additional functionality  totally revamped Android version  for both phone and tablets   Android 5 0 - 5 1  Lollipop  -  API levels 21-22  - Material Design introduced  Android 6 0 - 6      Marshmallow  -  API levels 23-     - Runtime Permissions Apache HTTP Client Removed

[android] What does API level mean?

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