Step by Step Guide to Building a Lofty API Integration in Go

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Go enthusiast! Ready to dive into the world of real estate investing through code? Today, we're going to build a robust integration with the Lofty API. This powerhouse of an API lets you programmatically interact with Lofty's real estate investment platform. Whether you're looking to list properties, fetch details, or even place investment orders, we've got you covered.

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, make sure you've got:

• Go installed (I know, obvious, right?)
• Lofty API credentials (grab these from your Lofty dashboard)
• Your favorite Go IDE or text editor

We'll be using the standard library for most of this, but we'll pull in a couple of external packages to make our lives easier.

Setting up the project

Let's kick things off with a clean project structure:

lofty-api/
├── main.go
├── client/
│   └── client.go
├── models/
│   └── property.go
└── go.mod

Initialize your Go module:

go mod init github.com/yourusername/lofty-api

Authentication

Lofty uses API key authentication. Let's implement that in our client:

// client/client.go
package client

import (
    "net/http"
)

type LoftyClient struct {
    BaseURL    string
    APIKey     string
    HTTPClient *http.Client
}

func NewLoftyClient(apiKey string) *LoftyClient {
    return &LoftyClient{
        BaseURL:    "https://api.lofty.com/v1",
        APIKey:     apiKey,
        HTTPClient: &http.Client{},
    }
}

Making API requests

Now, let's add methods to make API requests:

// client/client.go
func (c *LoftyClient) doRequest(method, path string, body io.Reader) (*http.Response, error) {
    req, err := http.NewRequest(method, c.BaseURL+path, body)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+c.APIKey)
    req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
    
    return c.HTTPClient.Do(req)
}

Handling responses

Let's create a helper function to handle JSON responses:

// client/client.go
func decodeJSON(r io.Reader, v interface{}) error {
    return json.NewDecoder(r).Decode(v)
}

Implementing key Lofty API endpoints

Now for the fun part! Let's implement some key endpoints:

// client/client.go
func (c *LoftyClient) ListProperties() ([]models.Property, error) {
    resp, err := c.doRequest("GET", "/properties", nil)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    var properties []models.Property
    err = decodeJSON(resp.Body, &properties)
    return properties, err
}

func (c *LoftyClient) GetProperty(id string) (*models.Property, error) {
    // Implementation here
}

func (c *LoftyClient) PlaceOrder(order models.Order) (*models.OrderResponse, error) {
    // Implementation here
}

Rate limiting and pagination

Lofty API uses pagination for large result sets. Let's handle that:

// client/client.go
func (c *LoftyClient) ListAllProperties() ([]models.Property, error) {
    var allProperties []models.Property
    page := 1

    for {
        properties, hasMore, err := c.listPropertiesPage(page)
        if err != nil {
            return nil, err
        }

        allProperties = append(allProperties, properties...)

        if !hasMore {
            break
        }
        page++
        time.Sleep(time.Second) // Basic rate limiting
    }

    return allProperties, nil
}

Error handling and logging

Let's add some robust error handling and logging:

// client/client.go
func (c *LoftyClient) doRequest(method, path string, body io.Reader) (*http.Response, error) {
    // ... previous implementation ...

    resp, err := c.HTTPClient.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        log.Printf("Error making request: %v", err)
        return nil, err
    }

    if resp.StatusCode >= 400 {
        body, _ := ioutil.ReadAll(resp.Body)
        log.Printf("API error: %s - %s", resp.Status, string(body))
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("API error: %s", resp.Status)
    }

    return resp, nil
}

Testing

Don't forget to test your code! Here's a quick example:

// client/client_test.go
func TestListProperties(t *testing.T) {
    // Mock HTTP client here
    client := NewLoftyClient("test-api-key")
    properties, err := client.ListProperties()

    assert.NoError(t, err)
    assert.NotEmpty(t, properties)
    // Add more assertions
}

Best practices and optimization

To take your integration to the next level:

1. Implement caching for frequently accessed data.
2. Use goroutines for concurrent API requests (but be mindful of rate limits).
3. Implement robust error retry mechanisms.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Lofty API integration in Go. You're now equipped to programmatically interact with real estate investments. How cool is that?

Remember, this is just the beginning. There's always room to expand and optimize your integration. Maybe add some CLI commands? Or build a full-fledged web app? The sky's the limit!

Happy coding, and may your investments always go up! 📈🏠