API-ENGINE

This project intends to be a simple way to interact with any API and aims to frame a uniform structure to consume APIs provided by various api providers. Apis like social media platforms use authentication standards like oauth 1.0 and 2.0 for authorizing application on user's behalf. Others just authenticate the calling app and respond. API coverage can be expanded to more API providers.

This project has a dependency on the node-oauth library, which can be installed by:

npm install oauth

The list of APIs and the actions which are working as of now:

{
    "FACEBOOK": ["POST", "DELETEPOST", "POSTIMAGE", "COMMENTONPOST", "LIKEPOST", "GETUSERINFO", "GETFEED"],

    "TWITTER": ["GETUSERINFO", "DELETETWEET", "DIRECTMESSAGE", "GETHOMETIMELINE", "GETUSERTIMELINE", "FOLLOWERS", "FRIENDS", "POSTTWEET", "UPLOADIMAGE", "TWEETIMAGE", "RETWEET", "TRENDSEARCH", "PLACETRENDSEARCH"],

    "LINKEDIN": ["COMMENTONPOST", "MESSAGEUSERS", "USERCONNECTIONS", "SEARCHUSERS", "GETFEED", "GETUSERINFO", "LIKEPOST", "POST"],

    "GITHUB":["USERINFO","JOBS"],

    "SMARTERER":["USERINFO","GETBADGES","SEARCHTESTS","TESTDESCRIPTION"],

    "INDEED":["JOBSEARCH"],

    "CRUNCHBASE":["SEARCHORGANIZATIONS","ORGANIZATIONINFO"],

    "ANGELLIST":["USERINFO","GETJOBS","SEARCH","GETCOMMENTS"],

    "MANDRILL":["SENDMAIL"],

    "FLICKR":["SEARCHPHOTOS"],

    "WIKIPEDIA":["GETCONTENT"],

    "TWILIO":["SENDMESSAGE"],

    "YOUTUBE":["SEARCHVIDEOS"],

    "GOOGLEPLACES":["SEARCHPLACES"]
}

The apiconfig file contains the constants required for various actions of the API's listed above. These constants are merged with the input json from front-end which makes the complete json required to use the api action.Then it goes through the OneApiService to consume the API.The final json looks like the one given below.

ABOUT THE STRUCTURE:

{
    "commands": [{
        "what": "OneApiService",
        "handler": "step1",
        "apiinfo": {
            "oa": {
                "oauth2": "true",
                "requesttokenurl": "https://www.facebook.com/v2.2/dialog/oauth",
                "oauthurl": "https://graph.facebook.com/oauth/access_token",
                "key1": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
                "key2": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
                "version": "2.0",
                "callbackurl": "http://localhost:3000/",
                "encoding": "HMAC-SHA1",
                "oauth_verifier": "<%= oauth_verifier %>",
                "finalurl": "https://graph.facebook.com/v2.2/1567930226797113/comments",
                "finalurlmethod": "POST",
                "finalurldata": {
                    "message": "this is a test comment"
                },
                "parameters": {
                    "redirect_uri": "http://localhost:3000/",
                    "scope": "publish_actions" //for more than one permissions comma separated permission names  can can be passed against scope.
                }
            }
        }
    }]
}

The put method on /fyler route in router.js handles the abovementioned structure.It expect a json.

Inside that an array set against commands key.

what : Value for what is which service to call.Here, we have only OneApiService as of now.

handler : Which function to call of what service.

apinfo : Object which is passed to the handler as arguments.

oa: The required object for processing oauth calls.

Information contained in the oa object:

requesttokenurl : This url is the first url where an app makes a request along with the app key and secret key to the oauth api provider which fetches an oauth token.

oauth_verifier_url : oauth token is appended to the oauth_verifier_url and sent back to the client which takes the user of the app to the authorization page.

callbackurl: When a user authorizes the app,the api provider redirects the app to the url set in the callbackurl along with an oauth verifier.

key1 : This is identification key of the app given by the api provider when the app is registered.It is generally called app id or app key.

key2: This is secret identification key of the app given by the api provider when the app is registered.It is generally called secret key.

encoding: Type of encoding.

version: Version of the api given by the api provider.

finalurl: This is the url of the intended api endpoint.

finalurlmethod: Http method for the finalurl.

finalurldata: Data posted at the api endpoint.Usually required in post requests.This is an object.

finalcontenttype: Content-Type sent along with the post with the final request.

headers: If some api endpoint requires some headers, those can be passed in an object against this key.

oauth2: If string true is set against this key, api request will be treated as following oauth2 flow.

parameters: An object which contains parameters used to send along the first request for getting the oauth_verifier.

step2parameter:If some parameters are required to be sent along with the step 2 request, the can be passed against this key in an object.

appendtourl : This is specific to oauth2. If set to true, the keys, code and step2parameter will be attached with the url for making the request for access_token. Only required with smarterer api at this point.

keyname : This key is used with non-oauth apis. Since non-oauth APIs use api_key and some user_key and some only key, therefore whatever name is passed against keyname is used to set the key in final request.

finalurlvariables : In some api calls, some data from the end-user is required to send in the url itself. That data is set against this key and then it is merged on the server with the url.

Running the project:

Clone the project.

Run the command: npm run devstart

Hit http://localhost:3000/ in the browser.

Choose an api and then choose the operation and press Shoot.This starts the process for the chosen api operation.

Refresh button reloads the page.