In 1995–1998, browser scripting, HTML forms, and CGI quietly acted like early web APIs—revealing integration pain points that later drove SOAP and formal web service contracts. Chapter 77 of our chronological web API history.
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, web APIs moved from one-shot CGI responses to stateful experiences. This chapter traces how forms, URL parameters, early JavaScript, cookies, and server-side sessions taught the web to remember users.
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, CGI scripts and HTML forms acted like early web APIs—defining a practical contract between browsers and servers through query strings, POST bodies, headers, and plain-text responses.
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.