Before developers embark on integration

Not all of us are involved in integration every day. That is why we have prepared a crash course in integration in today’s world for you, in which we briefly mention the most important terms and tools. After having chewed it all over, you can continue on examples of calling API.

Basic principles and terms

Everything you need to know to understand the ins and outs of API

Communication over the Internet https://everything.curl.dev/protocols/network
Internet protocols https://everything.curl.dev/protocols/protocols
URL https://everything.curl.dev/cmdline/urls
HTTP https://everything.curl.dev/http
Cookies https://everything.curl.dev/http/cookies
EndPoint - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_API
JSON - https://www.json.org/json-en.html
TLS - https://everything.curl.dev/usingcurl/tls
REST- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_state_transfer https://zdrojak.cz/clanky/rest-architektura-pro-webove-api/

Curl

Curl is an open source program for data transfer through different Internet protocols. Its commands are used to describe how what sort of data are transferred during integration. Commands can be run in the program in the same way.

https://curl.se
https://everything.curl.dev/
https://curl.se/docs/manual.html
https://everything.curl.dev/usingcurl
HTTP POST https://everything.curl.dev/http/post
HTTP Multipart formposts https://everything.curl.dev/http/multipart
HTTP cheat sheet - https://everything.curl.dev/http/cheatsheet
List of all commands - https://curl.se/docs/manpage.html

curl HTTP cheat sheet:

hide progress

-s

verbose

-v

--trace-ascii <file>

extra info

-w "format"

output

-O

-o <file>

timeout

-m <seconds>

POST

-d "string"

-d @file

POST encoded

--data-urlencode

"[name]=val"

multipart formpost

-F name=value

-F name=@file

PUT

-T <file>

HEAD (ers too)

-I

-i

custom method

-X "METHOD"

read cookiejar

-b <file>

write cookiejar

-c <file>

send cookies

-b "c=1; d=2"

user-agent

-A "string"

proxy

-x <host:port>

add/remove headers

-H "name: value"

-H "name:"

custom address

--resolve

<host:port:addr>

smaller data

--compressed

insecure HTTPS

-k

Basic auth

-u user:passwd

follow redirects

-L

parallel

-Z

generate code

--libcurl <file>

list options

--help

Source: https://curl.github.io/curl-cheat-sheet/http-sheet.html
List of all commands: https://curl.se/docs/manpage.html

Curl is generally already a component part of the operating system - for example MS Windows - where it is launched from the Command line application, which is run by searching for “cmd” in the search box on the desktop.

Curl command launched from the command line in MS Windows and its outcome

Apiary

Apiary is one of the services used to make API documentation public. Signi also uses it at https://signien.docs.apiary.io/

Example of description of endpoint “Authorization > x-api-key > User detail”,
when selecting cURL in the right-hand panel, a set of curl commands can be seen;
even then it is possible to choose a different environment

Postman

Postman is one of the services used for testing API calling. Signi also uses it at https://signiapi.postman.co/.

Example of calling endpoint User detail