REST APIs
Connect your ForgeZap applications to external REST APIs. Fetch data from services, integrate with third-party platforms, and build powerful data-driven applications.
API Integration
ForgeZap makes it easy to connect to any REST API. Configure endpoints, handle authentication, and transform data to work seamlessly with your components.
Supported APIs
Pre-configured APIs
Development APIs
- • JSONPlaceholder - Test data
- • ReqRes - User management
- • HTTPBin - HTTP testing
- • Postman Echo - API testing
Popular Services
- • GitHub API - Repository data
- • Weather APIs - Weather data
- • News APIs - News articles
- • Currency APIs - Exchange rates
Custom APIs
Connect to any REST API by providing the endpoint URL and configuration:
Any REST API endpoint
API key authentication
OAuth integration
Custom headers and parameters
Setting Up API Connections
Basic Configuration
Navigate to Data Sources → REST APIs
Click "Add New API Connection"
Enter API endpoint URL
Configure authentication if required
Test the connection
Authentication Methods
API Key
- • Header-based authentication
- • Query parameter authentication
- • Bearer token authentication
- • Custom header formats
OAuth
- • OAuth 2.0 flow
- • Client credentials
- • Authorization code flow
- • Refresh token handling
API Configuration Examples
JSONPlaceholder API
Example configuration for the JSONPlaceholder test API:
Endpoint Configuration
text
Base URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
Method: GET
Endpoint: /posts
Authentication: NoneSample Response
json
[
{
"id": 1,
"title": "sunt aut facere repellat",
"body": "quia et suscipit...",
"userId": 1
}
]GitHub API
Example configuration for the GitHub API with authentication:
Endpoint Configuration
text
Base URL: https://api.github.com
Method: GET
Endpoint: /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues
Authentication: Bearer Token
Headers: {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN",
"Accept": "application/vnd.github.v3+json"
}Query Parameters
text
?state=open&sort=created&direction=desc&per_page=10Data Transformation
Transform API responses to work with your components. Extract specific fields, format data, and handle different response structures.
Field Mapping
Map API response fields to component properties:
Extract specific fields from API responses
Rename fields for component compatibility
Handle nested JSON structures
Apply data transformations
Data Processing
Extract Nested Data
javascript
// Original API response
{
"user": {
"profile": {
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john@example.com"
}
}
}
// Extract to component
{
"name": "{{user.profile.name}}",
"email": "{{user.profile.email}}"
}Transform Data
javascript
// Transform date format
"created_at": "{{formatDate(item.created_at, 'MMM DD, YYYY')}}"
// Transform text
"status": "{{item.status.toUpperCase()}}"
// Calculate values
"total": "{{item.price * item.quantity}}"Error Handling
Common API Errors
HTTP Status Codes
- • 400 - Bad Request
- • 401 - Unauthorized
- • 403 - Forbidden
- • 404 - Not Found
- • 429 - Rate Limited
- • 500 - Server Error
Error Handling
- • Retry failed requests
- • Show user-friendly messages
- • Fallback to cached data
- • Log errors for debugging
Rate Limiting
Many APIs have rate limits. ForgeZap automatically handles rate limiting and provides retry mechanisms for failed requests.
Real-time Updates
Data Refresh
Automatic data refresh at configurable intervals
Manual refresh triggers
Smart caching to reduce API calls
Performance
Use appropriate refresh intervals to balance data freshness with API rate limits. Consider caching strategies for frequently accessed data.
Best Practices
API Security
Always use HTTPS endpoints and secure your API keys. Never expose sensitive credentials in client-side code or public repositories.
Error Handling
Implement proper error handling for API failures. Provide fallback data and user-friendly error messages when APIs are unavailable.
Data Validation
Validate API responses before using them in components. Handle cases where expected fields might be missing or have unexpected formats.