Stripe feels modern, but its developer-first approach has deep roots in 1995–1998: HTML forms, CGI scripts, early JavaScript, and the first mainstream patterns for integrating dynamic services on the web.
HTML5 media APIs didn’t appear out of nowhere. Between 1995 and 1998, the web experimented with CGI, forms, early scripting, and plugin-based playback—patterns that strongly influenced how browser-native media APIs would later be designed.
WebSockets weren’t a 1990s technology, but the need for real-time interaction was. From CGI and HTML forms to early JavaScript and frames, 1995–1998 introduced the patterns—and the pain—that later shaped the WebSocket API.
A focused look at 1995–1998: CGI and forms as de facto APIs, early JavaScript as a client-side interface layer, and why these patterns mattered long before the Canvas API existed.
Long before the Geolocation API standardized location access, mid-1990s developers used forms, CGI, cookies, and early JavaScript to approximate “where” a user was—and tailor content accordingly. This chapter traces how 1995–1998 web building blocks shaped the idea of contextual experiences.
From CGI scripts and HTML forms to early browser scripting, 1995–1998 created the need for structured, portable data—setting the stage for XML in web API history.
Between 1995 and 1998, browser scripting evolved from simple form validation into a recognizable (if messy) web API surface: window/document objects, event handlers, cookies, and the early DOM—bridging static pages with CGI-powered back ends.
From 1995 to 1998, web “APIs” weren’t usually JSON endpoints—they were HTML forms, CGI programs, and browser scripts exchanging parameters over HTTP. This chapter explains how HTTP’s request/response model became the durable foundation for web APIs.