noun

SDK

ess-dee-KAY

SDK (noun) means a bundle of ready-made code, tools and documentation supplied by a company so that other people can build software that works with its product or platform; short for software development kit. Example: “The payments SDK handles the card form, so we did not have to build one ourselves.”

noun

A bundle of ready-made code, tools and documentation supplied by a company so that other people can build software that works with its product or platform; short for software development kit.

"The payments SDK handles the card form, so we did not have to build one ourselves."

"Their SDK is available for both Android and iOS."

How to Use SDK

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA ready-made pack of code and tools for building software that works with someone else's product.

When to use it

Technical; used as the initialism in speech and writing.

Memory tip

Take an before it, because the letter S is said ess: an SDK.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

API → library → framework → IDE →

Common pairings

integrate an SDK official SDK SDK documentation mobile SDK

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The payments _____ handles the card form, so we did not have to build one ourselves.

Etymology

An initialism of software development kit.

Origin: English

Synonyms

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software development kit dev kit toolkit developer toolkit

Related Words

toolbox

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an SDK and an API?

An API is the interface itself: the agreed set of requests one piece of software can make of another. An SDK is a package of code and tools that makes using that interface easier in a particular programming language, and it usually contains far more than the interface alone.

What is normally inside an SDK?

Typically a code library you add to your own project, documentation, sample projects, and sometimes command-line tools or a simulator. The exact contents vary widely from one platform to another.

Do you have to use an SDK?

Not always. If a service also exposes a plain web API, software can talk to it directly over the network without the kit. The SDK simply saves work by wrapping those requests in code that is ready to use.

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