A Beginner's Guide to API Data Formats: JSON, XML, Plain Text, and Binary
Imagine you are sending a message to your friend, but you want to ensure that no one else can understand it. So lets say you are encoding your message using a special language that only you and your friend knows. This way, even if someone intercepts the message, they won't be able to understand its true meaning. The encoded message itself is what we call the "payload." In the world of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), the concept of a payload is quite similar.