Data-Source-API-Analyst-Test

This repository contains the solution for the homework assignment for the Data Source API Analyst role. The project focuses on interacting with the GitHub REST API to extract data related to repositories, commits, and contents. The implementation demonstrates proficiency in API interaction, troubleshooting, and proper documentation.

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Repository Structure

/Content

• 1. API_Documentation.md: Details of the GitHub API endpoints used.
• 2. Troubleshooting_Guide.md: Solutions for common issues during API interaction.
• 3. Github_API_Test.postman_collection.json: Postman collection containing API requests.
• 4. /Responses: Contains responses in three json files and detail API setup

README.md

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Task Breakdown

Step 1: Prepare & Test a List of Reports

Client Needs

The client required data extraction for the following:

1. Search Public Repositories: Retrieve a list of public repositories for a given user or organization.
2. Commits: Fetch commit history for specific repositories.
3. Contents: Retrieve the content of a file or directory within a repository.

API Research

Key considerations during API research included:

• Requests Logic: Understanding required parameters and response structures.
• Pagination: Managing results spread across multiple pages.
• Rate Limits: Monitoring API limits and handling retries.
• Authentication: Using a personal access token for secure access.

Refer to API_Documentation.md for endpoint details and sample responses.

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Step 2: Set Up a GitHub Repository

1. Repository Name: Data-Source-API-Analyst-Test
2. Description: "Homework assignment for the Data Source API Analyst role."
3. Visibility: Public

Structure: Organized into /Content for documentation and /Postman_Collection for API requests.

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Step 3: API Extraction via Postman

1. Environment Setup
   A Postman environment named GitHub was created with the following variables:

   • base_url: https://api.github.com
   • username: GitHub username.
   • auth_token: Personal access token with appropriate permissions.

2. API Endpoints
   Configured and tested the following:

   • Search Public Repositories: /users/{username}/repos
   • Repository Commits: /repos/{owner}/{repo}/commits
   • Repository Contents: /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path}

3. Pagination and Rate Limits

   • Pagination handled using the page and per_page query parameters.
   • Rate limits monitored via headers: X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset.

4. Response Testing

   • Verified and saved response samples for correctness.

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Step 4: Troubleshooting Guide

Common issues and their solutions are documented in /Content/Troubleshooting_Guide.md.

Example:

• 401 Unauthorized Error:
  • Check Authentication: Ensure the auth_token is valid and has necessary permissions.
  • Verify Environment Variables: Make sure the environment variables in Postman are correctly set.
  • Monitor Rate Limits: Apply retries if necessary.

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Step 5: Results

1. Postman Collection Export
   The requests are saved in the Postman collection file:
   /Postman_Collection/Github_API_Test.postman_collection.json.

2. Reflection

   • This task demonstrated the ability to effectively interact with REST APIs using Postman.
   • Postman provided an intuitive interface for testing and troubleshooting requests.

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How to Use

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Tuoleken/Data-Source-API-Analyst-Test.git

2. Import the Postman collection file from /Postman_Collection into Postman.
3. Set up the GitHub environment with your credentials (auth_token, username).
4. Test the configured API endpoints or modify them as needed.

References

• GitHub REST API Documentation
• Postman Documentation