https://guides.derekleeds.cloud/tags/api/Recent content in Api on Derek's GuidesHugoenTue, 07 Jul 2026 05:56:54 -0500https://guides.derekleeds.cloud/docs/ai/apis-mcp-and-clis/Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://guides.derekleeds.cloud/docs/ai/apis-mcp-and-clis/<p>If you work around software long enough, you will hear <strong>API</strong>, <strong>CLI</strong>, and <strong>MCP</strong> used like they are interchangeable ways to make computers do things.</p> <p>They are related, but they are not the same thing.</p> <p>The practical difference is simple:</p> <ul> <li>An <strong>API</strong> is for programs talking to systems.</li> <li>A <strong>CLI</strong> is for humans or automation talking to a command-line tool.</li> <li>An <strong>MCP server</strong> is for AI applications talking to tools, resources, and prompts through a standard protocol.</li> </ul> <p>They are not competitors. They are three different doors into software.</p>