The Microsoft® Windows® application programming interface (API) provides building blocks used by applications written for Windows, including Windows Server 2003 family, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT®, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows 98, and Windows 95. You can provide your application with a graphical user interface; display graphics and formatted text; and manage system objects such as memory, files, and processes.

Where Applicable
The Windows API can be used in all Windows-based applications. The same functions are generally supported on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

Developer Audience
This API is designed for use by C/C++ programmers. Familiarity with the Windows graphical user interface and message-driven architecture is required.

Run-Time Requirements
For information on which operating systems are required to use a particular function, see the Requirements section of the documentation for the function.

The Microsoft® Windows® application programming interface (API) allows applications to exploit the power of the Windows family of operating systems. Using this API, you can develop applications that run successfully on all versions of Windows while taking advantage of the features and capabilities unique to each version. (Note that this was formerly called the Win32 API. The name Windows API more accurately reflects its roots in 16-bit Windows and its support on 64-bit Windows.)

Differences in the implementation of the programming elements depend on the capabilities of the underlying features of the platform. The most notable difference is that some functions are supported only on the more powerful platforms. For example, service functions are available only on Windows NT. Some functions have options that are supported on a subset of platforms. For example, PeekMessage supports additional flags on Windows 98/Me and Windows 2000. Most other differences are due to system limitations, such as restrictions on the range of values or the number of items a given function can manage. For example, there is a size limit on the cbString parameter of the TextOut function on Windows 95/98/Me.

The Windows API consists of the following functional categories:

Base Services
Common Control Library
Graphics Device Interface
Network Services
User Interface
Windows Shell


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