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Step by Step Guide to Building a Circle API Integration in Ruby

Aug 11, 20247 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your CI/CD workflow with Circle API? You're in the right place. We're going to walk through building a Circle API integration using Ruby, and trust me, it's easier than you might think. We'll be using the circleci gem, which is going to make our lives a whole lot easier.

Prerequisites

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

  • A Ruby environment set up (I know you probably do, but just checking!)
  • A CircleCI account and API token (if you don't have one, hop over to CircleCI and grab it real quick)

Installation

First things first, let's add the circleci gem to your project. Pop this into your Gemfile:

gem 'circleci'

Then run:

bundle install

Easy peasy, right?

Configuration

Now, let's get that CircleCI client set up. It's just a couple of lines:

require 'circleci' CircleCi.configure do |config| config.token = 'YOUR_CIRCLECI_API_TOKEN' end

Replace 'YOUR_CIRCLECI_API_TOKEN' with your actual token, and you're good to go!

Basic API Calls

Let's start with some basic calls to get our feet wet.

Fetching User Information

user = CircleCi::User.me puts user.body

Listing Projects

projects = CircleCi::Project.all projects.each do |project| puts project['reponame'] end

See? Nothing to it!

Working with Builds

Now let's get into the meat of it - working with builds.

Triggering a New Build

build = CircleCi::Project.build('username', 'project', 'branch') puts "Build started: #{build['build_url']}"

Retrieving Build Information

build_info = CircleCi::Build.get('username', 'project', 'build_num') puts build_info['status']

Cancelling a Build

result = CircleCi::Build.cancel('username', 'project', 'build_num') puts "Build cancelled: #{result['status'] == 'canceled'}"

Handling Workflows

Workflows are a big part of CircleCI. Here's how to interact with them:

Listing Workflows

workflows = CircleCi::Workflow.all('username', 'project') workflows.each do |workflow| puts workflow['id'] end

Getting Workflow Details

workflow = CircleCi::Workflow.get('workflow_id') puts workflow['status']

Artifacts Management

Artifacts are the bread and butter of CI/CD. Let's see how to handle them:

Listing Build Artifacts

artifacts = CircleCi::Build.artifacts('username', 'project', 'build_num') artifacts.each do |artifact| puts artifact['path'] end

Downloading Artifacts

CircleCi::Build.artifacts('username', 'project', 'build_num').each do |artifact| `wget #{artifact['url']}` end

Advanced Usage

Now that you've got the basics down, let's look at some advanced techniques.

Pagination

The CircleCI API uses pagination for large result sets. Here's how to handle it:

page = 1 loop do builds = CircleCi::Project.recent_builds('username', 'project', page: page) break if builds.empty? builds.each { |build| puts build['build_num'] } page += 1 end

Error Handling

Always be prepared for things to go wrong:

begin CircleCi::Project.build('username', 'nonexistent-project', 'branch') rescue CircleCi::Error => e puts "Oops! Something went wrong: #{e.message}" end

Rate Limiting

Be mindful of rate limits. The circleci gem handles this automatically, but you can check the limits:

response = CircleCi::Project.all puts "Rate Limit: #{response.headers['X-RateLimit-Limit']}" puts "Remaining: #{response.headers['X-RateLimit-Remaining']}"

Testing Your Integration

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

RSpec.describe 'CircleCI Integration' do it 'fetches user information' do user = CircleCi::User.me expect(user.success?).to be true expect(user.body).to include('login') end end

Best Practices

A few tips to keep in mind:

  • Keep your API token secure. Use environment variables!
  • Cache API responses when possible to reduce API calls.
  • Use webhooks for real-time updates instead of polling the API.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to integrate CircleCI into your Ruby projects like a pro. Remember, the CircleCI API is powerful and flexible, so don't be afraid to explore and experiment. Happy coding, and may your builds always be green!

For more details, check out the CircleCI API documentation and the circleci gem documentation.