When slapping together a program based on other people’s work, what is the best process? Any business focused application is likely to need accounting software. If your application doesn’t handle it, you may need to interface with something like QuickBooks or Freshbooks. They each have their own data structure and any transfer to them must be adequately met by whatever feature you choose to add.
Consuming an API simply means to use it in any part of your application. You may one day build an API that others will use because it quickly and easily solves their problem.
Some APIs allow for direct integration, which is certainly easier for the user, but could also add a lot of extraneous code that can slow down your own application. On top of that, there may be certain terms that would allow them to gather your user’s data. Paying attention to all of these factors as well as your own code can seem daunting. However, it also presents an opportunity to learn more and see how others find solutions.