Advanced API Integration

This section dives into advanced techniques and best practices for integrating with our powerful API. We'll cover topics such as rate limiting, error handling, pagination, and authentication flows.

Understanding Authentication

Securely accessing our API requires proper authentication. We support OAuth 2.0 for robust and flexible authorization. Ensure you have obtained the necessary credentials and tokens before making requests.

Client Credentials Flow: Ideal for server-to-server interactions.
Authorization Code Flow: Suitable for user-authorized applications.

Refer to our Authentication Guide for detailed setup instructions.

Making Authenticated Requests

All API requests that require authentication must include an Authorization header with your access token:

GET /api/v1/users/me HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN
Accept: application/json

Rate Limiting and Best Practices

To ensure fair usage and system stability, our API enforces rate limits. You can typically find information about your current rate limits in the response headers, such as X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, and X-RateLimit-Reset.

Important Note on Rate Limiting

Exceeding rate limits will result in a 429 Too Many Requests error. Implement retry mechanisms with exponential backoff to handle these situations gracefully.

Handling API Responses

API responses typically come in JSON format. Understanding common HTTP status codes is crucial for effective integration:

200 OK: The request was successful.
201 Created: The request was successful, and a new resource was created.
400 Bad Request: The request was invalid or malformed.
401 Unauthorized: Authentication credentials are invalid or missing.
403 Forbidden: You do not have permission to access this resource.
404 Not Found: The requested resource could not be found.
429 Too Many Requests: You have exceeded the rate limit.
500 Internal Server Error: An unexpected error occurred on the server.

Advanced Endpoint Examples

1. Fetching Paginated Data

Many endpoints return lists of resources. To handle large datasets efficiently, we use pagination. Requests to paginated endpoints often accept page and limit query parameters.

Example: Fetching a list of projects with pagination

Method: GET
Endpoint: /api/v1/projects
Query Parameters:

page: The page number to retrieve (e.g., 1).
limit: The number of items per page (e.g., 20).

GET /api/v1/projects?page=2&limit=10 HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN

The response will typically include pagination metadata, such as:

{
  "data": [ ... projects ... ],
  "meta": {
    "currentPage": 2,
    "totalPages": 15,
    "totalItems": 150,
    "itemsPerPage": 10
  }
}

2. Performing Bulk Operations

For efficiency, some endpoints support bulk operations, allowing you to create or update multiple resources in a single request.

Example: Creating multiple users

Method: POST
Endpoint: /api/v1/users/bulk
Request Body: An array of user objects.

POST /api/v1/users/bulk HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN

[
  { "name": "Alice Smith", "email": "alice@example.com" },
  { "name": "Bob Johnson", "email": "bob@example.com" }
]

Error Handling Strategies

Implement robust error handling to make your integration resilient. Always check the HTTP status code and the response body for detailed error messages.

Example Error Response (400 Bad Request)

{
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_INPUT",
    "message": "The provided email address is not valid.",
    "details": {
      "field": "email",
      "value": "invalid-email"
    }
  }
}

Webhooks

For real-time updates, consider using webhooks. Register a callback URL, and our system will send POST requests to your endpoint when specific events occur (e.g., a new order placed).

Please see the Webhooks Documentation for details on configuring and handling webhook events.