Reading and Writing Data Using the Drift API

Hey there, fellow JavaScript devs! Ready to dive into the world of Drift API integration? Let's get our hands dirty with some code and explore how to sync data for a user-facing integration. Buckle up!

Authentication: Your Key to the Kingdom

First things first, you'll need to grab your API credentials. Head over to your Drift developer settings and snag those keys. We're using OAuth 2.0 here, so let's set that up real quick:

const axios = require('axios');

async function getAccessToken(clientId, clientSecret, code) {
  const response = await axios.post('https://driftapi.com/oauth2/token', {
    client_id: clientId,
    client_secret: clientSecret,
    code: code,
    grant_type: 'authorization_code'
  });
  return response.data.access_token;
}

Reading Data: What's the Scoop?

Now that we're in, let's fetch some data. Want to grab recent conversations? Here's how:

async function getRecentConversations(accessToken) {
  const response = await axios.get('https://driftapi.com/conversations', {
    headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${accessToken}` },
    params: { limit: 10, sort: 'recent' }
  });
  return response.data.data;
}

Easy peasy, right? You can tweak this to fetch contacts, custom attributes, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Writing Data: Leave Your Mark

Time to make some changes! Let's update a contact's info:

async function updateContact(accessToken, contactId, data) {
  await axios.patch(`https://driftapi.com/contacts/${contactId}`, data, {
    headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${accessToken}` }
  });
}

// Usage
updateContact(accessToken, '12345', { email: '[email protected]' });

Syncing Data: Real-Time Magic

For a slick user-facing integration, you'll want real-time updates. Webhooks to the rescue! Here's a simple Express handler for new messages:

app.post('/webhook/new-message', (req, res) => {
  const message = req.body;
  // Process the new message
  console.log(`New message from ${message.author.id}: ${message.body}`);
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Don't forget to handle rate limits and pagination. A little exponential backoff never hurt anybody:

async function makeApiCall(fn, maxRetries = 3) {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await fn();
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.response && error.response.status === 429) {
        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, Math.pow(2, i) * 1000));
      } else {
        throw error;
      }
    }
  }
  throw new Error('Max retries reached');
}

Best Practices: Stay Sharp

1. Sync efficiently: Only fetch what you need, when you need it.
2. Handle large datasets with care: Use pagination and don't overload your server.
3. Keep it secret, keep it safe: Never expose your API credentials in client-side code.

Wrapping Up

There you have it, folks! You're now armed and dangerous with Drift API knowledge. Remember, the API docs are your best friend for diving deeper. Now go forth and build some awesome integrations!

Happy coding! 🚀