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

Aug 15, 2024 • 5 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Ruby enthusiast! Ready to supercharge your app with some serious file conversion capabilities? Look no further than the CloudConvert API. In this guide, we'll walk through building a slick integration that'll have you converting files like a pro in no time.

Prerequisites

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

Ruby 2.7+ installed
The cloudconvert gem
A CloudConvert API key (grab one from their dashboard if you haven't already)

Setting up the project

Let's kick things off by setting up our project:

mkdir cloudconvert_integration
cd cloudconvert_integration
bundle init

Now, add the CloudConvert gem to your Gemfile:

gem 'cloudconvert'

Run bundle install, and we're ready to roll!

Configuring the CloudConvert client

First things first, let's import the gem and set up our client:

require 'cloudconvert'

CloudConvert.configure do |config|
  config.api_key = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
  config.sandbox = false # Set to true for testing
end

Basic API operations

Now for the fun part - let's create a job and add some tasks:

job = CloudConvert::Job.create(
  tasks: [
    {
      name: 'import-my-file',
      operation: 'import/url',
      url: 'https://my-url.com/file.pdf'
    },
    {
      name: 'convert-my-file',
      operation: 'convert',
      input: 'import-my-file',
      output_format: 'jpg'
    },
    {
      name: 'export-my-file',
      operation: 'export/url',
      input: 'convert-my-file'
    }
  ]
)

job.start

# Monitor the job status
until job.status == 'finished'
  sleep 1
  job.refresh!
end

Handling file conversions

To upload files directly:

task = CloudConvert::Task.create(
  operation: 'import/upload',
  file: File.open('path/to/your/file.pdf')
)

And to download the converted file:

export_task = job.tasks.find { |task| task.operation == 'export/url' }
converted_file_url = export_task.result.files.first.url

require 'open-uri'
File.open('converted_file.jpg', 'wb') do |file|
  file << URI.open(converted_file_url).read
end

Error handling and best practices

Always wrap your API calls in proper error handling:

begin
  # Your API calls here
rescue CloudConvert::Error => e
  puts "Oops! Something went wrong: #{e.message}"
end

And don't forget about rate limits - be a good API citizen!

Advanced features

Want to level up? Check out webhooks for async processing:

job = CloudConvert::Job.create(
  tasks: [...],
  webhook_url: 'https://your-app.com/webhook'
)

Testing the integration

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

RSpec.describe 'CloudConvert Integration' do
  it 'converts a PDF to JPG' do
    job = CloudConvert::Job.create(...)
    job.start
    expect(job.status).to eq('finished')
    # Add more assertions here
  end
end

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to handle file conversions like a champ. Remember, this is just scratching the surface - dive into the CloudConvert documentation for even more powerful features.

Now go forth and convert those files! Happy coding! 🚀