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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Ruby enthusiast! Ready to supercharge your fundraising efforts? Let's dive into integrating the Donorbox API into your Ruby project. This powerful tool will help you manage campaigns, track donations, and handle donor data like a pro.

Prerequisites

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

• Ruby 2.7+ installed
• The httparty and dotenv gems
• Your Donorbox API credentials (if you don't have these yet, hop over to your Donorbox account and grab 'em)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's get our project set up:

mkdir donorbox_integration
cd donorbox_integration
bundle init

Now, add these gems to your Gemfile:

gem 'httparty'
gem 'dotenv'

Run bundle install, and we're off to the races!

Authentication

Donorbox uses API key authentication. Create a .env file in your project root:

DONORBOX_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
DONORBOX_API_TOKEN=your_api_token_here

Now, let's create a base class for our API calls:

require 'httparty'
require 'dotenv/load'

class DonorboxAPI
  include HTTParty
  base_uri 'https://donorbox.org/api/v1'

  def initialize
    @auth = {
      username: ENV['DONORBOX_API_KEY'],
      password: ENV['DONORBOX_API_TOKEN']
    }
  end
end

Making API requests

With our base class set up, making requests is a breeze:

class DonorboxAPI
  # ... previous code ...

  def get_campaigns
    self.class.get('/campaigns', basic_auth: @auth)
  end
end

Implementing key Donorbox API endpoints

Let's add some more useful methods:

class DonorboxAPI
  # ... previous code ...

  def get_donations(campaign_id)
    self.class.get("/campaigns/#{campaign_id}/donations", basic_auth: @auth)
  end

  def create_donor(donor_data)
    self.class.post('/donors', body: donor_data, basic_auth: @auth)
  end
end

Error handling and rate limiting

Always handle those pesky errors and respect rate limits:

class DonorboxAPI
  # ... previous code ...

  def get_campaigns
    response = self.class.get('/campaigns', basic_auth: @auth)
    handle_response(response)
  end

  private

  def handle_response(response)
    case response.code
    when 200
      response.parsed_response
    when 429
      raise "Rate limit exceeded. Try again in #{response.headers['Retry-After']} seconds."
    else
      raise "API error: #{response.code} - #{response.message}"
    end
  end
end

Data processing and storage

Process that JSON like a champ:

campaigns = api.get_campaigns
campaigns.each do |campaign|
  # Store in your database or do something cool with the data
  puts "Campaign: #{campaign['name']} - Raised: #{campaign['amount_raised']}"
end

Webhooks integration

If you're using webhooks, set up an endpoint in your web framework of choice:

post '/donorbox_webhook' do
  payload = JSON.parse(request.body.read)
  # Process the webhook payload
  # Verify the webhook signature if provided
  status 200
end

Testing the integration

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

RSpec.describe DonorboxAPI do
  let(:api) { DonorboxAPI.new }

  describe '#get_campaigns' do
    it 'returns a list of campaigns' do
      VCR.use_cassette('campaigns') do
        campaigns = api.get_campaigns
        expect(campaigns).to be_an(Array)
        expect(campaigns.first).to have_key('name')
      end
    end
  end
end

Best practices and optimization

• Cache API responses when appropriate to reduce API calls
• Use background jobs for non-time-sensitive operations
• Keep your API key and token secure (never commit them to version control!)

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Donorbox API integration in Ruby. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's so much more you can do with this API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, keep making a difference with your fundraising efforts!

Happy coding, and may your donations be plentiful! 🚀💎