Lock requests can now be sent to investors via an API, cutting processing times from about 15 minutes to mere seconds.

An application programming interface (API) is software that acts as an intermediary between two programs. APIs make it easy for apps to exchange information, data, pictures, and more.

In API, the "A" stands for application, "P" stands for programming, and "I" stands for interface. Obviously, that alone doesn't really say much, so here's what else you need to know about APIs and ...