[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]
In C++ programming, a collection of related methods exposed by a given class of objects. The methods in an interface are procedures that can be performed on or by those objects.
The Component Object Model (COM) architecture has become the foundation for interfaces that work with the Microsoft® Windows® 98 and Microsoft® Windows NT® operating systems. In earlier programming for Windows, an application programming interface (API) consisted of functions that one piece of software could call to gain access to services provided by another piece of software.