What is India Stack?

Application Programming Interface, digital Infrastructure, Aadhaar Proof, Aadhaar e-KYC, e-Sign, Digital Locker, Unified Payment Interface Prelims Pointers, current affairs for Prelims revision, UPSC Current Affairs, daily current affairs

What is India Stack?

About India Stack:

 

  • It is a set of Application Programming Interface (APIs) that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilise a unique digital Infrastructure.
  • India Stack consists of three layers of open APIs: identity, payments, and data.
  • Although the name of this project bears the word India, the vision of India Stack is not limited to one country.
  • It can be applied to any nation, be it a developed one or an emerging one.
  • The four distinct technology layers provided are
    • Presenceless layer: Where a universal biometric digital identity allows people to participate in any service from anywhere in the country.
    • Paperless layer: Where digital records move with an individual’s digital identity, eliminating the need for massive amount of paper collection and storage.
    • Cashless layer: Where a single interface to all the country’s bank accounts and wallets to democratise payments.
    • Consent layer: Which allows data to move freely and securely to democratize the market for data?
  • Some of the APIs that are a central part of India Stack: Aadhaar Proof, Aadhaar e-KYC, e-Sign, Digital Locker, Unified Payment Interface
  • The Open API team at iSPIRT has been a pro-bono partner in the development, evolution, and evangelisation of these APIs and systems.

 

What is API?

  • In the context of APIs, the word Application refers to any software with a distinct function.
  • Interface can be thought of as a contract of service between two applications.
  • This contract defines how the two communicate with each other using requests and responses.
  • Their API documentation contains information on how developers are to structure those requests and responses.

 


Q1) What is Unified Payment Interface?

Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is a real-time payment system introduced by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016. It is a revolutionary technology that enables instant money transfers between different bank accounts in India.

Source: India-Papua New Guinea sign MoU for India Stack collaboration

Latest UPSC Exam 2026 Updates

Last updated on January, 2026

→ Check out the latest UPSC Syllabus 2026 here.

→ Join Vajiram & Ravi’s Interview Guidance Programme for expert help to crack your final UPSC stage.

UPSC Mains Result 2025 is now out.

UPSC Notification 2026 Postponed for CSE & IFS which was scheduled to be released on 14 January 2026.

UPSC Calendar 2026 has been released.

UPSC Prelims 2026 will be conducted on 24th May, 2026 & UPSC Mains 2026 will be conducted on 21st August 2026.

→ The UPSC Selection Process is of 3 stages-Prelims, Mains and Interview.

→ Prepare effectively with Vajiram & Ravi’s UPSC Prelims Test Series 2026 featuring full-length mock tests, detailed solutions, and performance analysis.

→ Enroll in Vajiram & Ravi’s UPSC Mains Test Series 2026 for structured answer writing practice, expert evaluation, and exam-oriented feedback.

→ Join Vajiram & Ravi’s Best UPSC Mentorship Program for personalized guidance, strategy planning, and one-to-one support from experienced mentors.

UPSC Result 2024 is released with latest UPSC Marksheet 2024. Check Now!

UPSC Toppers List 2024 is released now. Shakti Dubey is UPSC AIR 1 2024 Topper.

→ Also check Best UPSC Coaching in India

Vajiram Content Team
Vajiram Content Team
UPSC GS Course 2026
UPSC GS Course 2026
₹1,75,000
Enroll Now
GS Foundation Course 2 Yrs
GS Foundation Course 2 Yrs
₹2,45,000
Enroll Now
UPSC Mentorship Program
UPSC Mentorship Program
₹85000
Enroll Now
UPSC Sureshot Mains Test Series
UPSC Sureshot Mains Test Series
₹19000
Enroll Now
Prelims Powerup Test Series
Prelims Powerup Test Series
₹8500
Enroll Now
Enquire Now