> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cyber-reaper.gitbook.io/my-malware-analysis-guide/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cyber-reaper.gitbook.io/my-malware-analysis-guide/guide/basic-static-analysis/windows-api.md).

# Windows API

You can find a full catalog of Windows APIs that can be used maliciously at [MalAPI.io](https://malapi.io/)

**API** stands for Application Programming Interface.

Down at the heart of the operating system, we are dealing with things like zeros and ones, instructions like `jmp` or `xor` and lots of very low-level things like that. but as the operating systems developed, many features of the operating system were developed too, so the Windows creators decided that instead of working directly with low-level operations, we will be using Windows APIs. 

These APIs give the programmers the needed functions to make things work without the need to work with all this low-level stuff while programming in `C` or `C++`  , so you just provide the arguments to the function, and it lifts all the work. That is how Windows APIs were born :)

Here is what the `ShellExecuteW` function from the section before looks like in the documentation, for more read about the [Programming reference for the Win32 API](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/):

<figure><img src="https://3687673605-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FIL0b8wPkvjYvwtuOPCCx%2Fuploads%2FRezhAQFkXi99jAmpLIYG%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=5ea19779-2fcb-4e97-b950-0c161087cea9" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>