What is the difference between an API App and a Web App?

Question

I've been reading a few tutorials now on deploying Web Apps and API Apps to Azure. However, I am still a little unsure as to why you would use one over another.

I can create a new .NET solution with API controllers and deploy this as a Web App, so why would I specifically require an API App? Are these optimized specifically for ASP.NET Web API, where as Web Apps are for delivering HTML?

Answer 1

If you have been working with Azure, you might have seen that there are different icons for Azure Web App, API app in Azure Portal and might be confused with the difference between them. All of these are part of the Azure App Service. Initially, there was some difference in features offered by these services individually, but now, the difference is only limited to naming, icons, and tooling.

a Single web app can be hosted by a customer to act as any mobile service or an API with all the features offered through the app services. So it no longer matters which app service type you choose to deploy unless you care what the icon looks like.

Answer 2

API App	Web App
An API (Application programming interface) acts as an interface between two applications helping them to communicate with each other.	A Web service manages the interaction between two machines over a network.
It is a method by which third-party vendors can write programs that interface easily with the other programs.	Web service has an interface that is depicted in a machine-processable format which is usually specified in Web Service Description Language (WSDL).
API can use any means of communication to initiate the interaction between the applications In API, functions are called from within a software program.	“HTTP” is the most commonly used protocol for Web communication. Web service also uses SOAP,  XML-RPC and REST as a means of communication.
API doesn't always need to be web-based.	API used is web-based
An API doesn't always need a network for its operation.	A Web service always needs a network for its operation.