Backend database used in the API

Question

By going through this API documentation page, is it possible to tell which database is being used in the backend?

Zomato API

MySQL would require a php file on the server to handle the requests, make queries, pack data in JSON format then send it back to the device. But in this case parameters are passed to .json files. Please advice

Answer 1

There is no way to "see through" to what the backend service actually used to provide you with the information you may query for. Are you sure you want to continue using this product? The site notes that Zomato will no longer be available to individuals, and that your API key will be disabled if you don't use it monthly.

Answer 2

I haven't read the specs for that particular API. But in general, is it possible to tell what database is being used on the back end by studying an API? No. That's the whole point of an API: It's supposed to shield the API-user from implementation details.

It's probably true that in many cases you could make reasonable guesses about what tools are being used on the back end. Like if you see that the API gives you a syntax for doing comparisons that looks exactly like the proprietary compare function used in Foobar SQL and not found in any other database product, that would be a strong clue. But even something like that wouldn't be proof. Maybe originally they were using Foobar SQL, then they switched to another database, but to maintain compatibility they wrote code to translate the Foobar SQL compare to standard SQL syntax.