Knowledge Base

Integration Best Practices

This guide outlines the recommended practices for integrating with our platform to ensure a smooth, efficient, and reliable experience for both you and your users.

1. Understand Your Integration Goal

Before diving into the technical implementation, clearly define what you aim to achieve with the integration. This could include:

• Synchronizing data between systems.
• Automating workflows.
• Providing enhanced user experiences.
• Accessing specific platform features.

A clear goal will guide your technical decisions and help you choose the most appropriate APIs and strategies.

2. Choose the Right API Endpoints

Our platform offers various API endpoints for different functionalities. Select endpoints that directly address your integration needs. Refer to the API Documentation for a comprehensive list and detailed descriptions.

3. Implement Robust Error Handling

Network issues, rate limits, and invalid requests are common. Implement comprehensive error handling to gracefully manage these situations.

• Check HTTP Status Codes: Pay close attention to codes like 4xx (client errors) and 5xx (server errors).
• Parse Error Responses: Our APIs typically return informative JSON payloads for errors. Log and understand these messages.
• Implement Retries: For transient errors (e.g., 503 Service Unavailable), implement an exponential backoff retry strategy.

Example of a typical error response:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_INPUT",
    "message": "The provided 'user_id' is not a valid UUID format.",
    "details": "Expected format: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
  }
}
                

4. Respect Rate Limits

To ensure fair usage and system stability, all API requests are subject to rate limits. Exceeding these limits may result in temporary blocking of your requests.

• Monitor the X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, and X-RateLimit-Reset headers in the API response.
• Implement logic to slow down your request rate when approaching the limit.
• Consider caching data where appropriate to reduce redundant calls.

5. Secure Your Integration

Protect your API keys and user credentials at all times.

• Use OAuth 2.0: Where available, prefer OAuth 2.0 for user authorization, as it avoids storing sensitive credentials directly.
• Secure API Keys: Store API keys in secure environment variables or a dedicated secrets management system. Never hardcode them directly in your codebase.
• Use HTTPS: Always communicate with our APIs over HTTPS to encrypt data in transit.

6. Utilize Webhooks for Real-time Updates

For events that occur on our platform, such as data changes or new notifications, leverage webhooks instead of constantly polling API endpoints. This is more efficient and ensures you receive updates in near real-time.

• Set up a secure endpoint on your server to receive webhook payloads.
• Validate incoming webhook requests to ensure they originate from our platform (e.g., by verifying a shared secret or signature).

7. Log and Monitor Your Integration

Effective logging and monitoring are crucial for identifying and resolving issues quickly.

• Log all API requests and responses, including timestamps and status codes.
• Monitor error rates and latency.
• Set up alerts for critical issues.

8. Keep Your Integration Up-to-Date

Our APIs may evolve over time. Regularly review our Changelog and API documentation for updates and deprecations. Plan for necessary updates to maintain compatibility and leverage new features.