Final answer:
Subscription keys act like a password, allowing access to specific APIs based on the level of access granted.
Step-by-step explanation:
Subscription keys are used to provide authorization for APIs. Subscription keys act like a password, allowing access to specific APIs based on the level of access granted. When a developer requests access to an API, they will receive a unique subscription key that they can use to authenticate their requests.
Subscription keys help in controlling access to APIs by ensuring that only authorized users can access the API resources. API providers can manage and monitor the usage of their APIs by tracking and analyzing the subscription keys being used.
For example, let's say you are developing a mobile app that uses an API to retrieve weather data. You would need to obtain a subscription key from the API provider. This subscription key would be included in every request your app makes to the API, providing authorization for your app to access the weather data.