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

Jul 17, 2024 • 5 minute read

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of HubSpot API integration using Ruby? You're in for a treat. We'll be using the hubspot-api-client package to make our lives easier. Let's get started!

Introduction

HubSpot's API is a powerhouse, offering a wealth of functionality for CRM operations. With the hubspot-api-client package, we'll be tapping into this potential with ease. Trust me, it's going to be a smooth ride.

Prerequisites

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

A Ruby environment set up and ready to go
A HubSpot account with an API key in hand

Got those? Great! Let's move on.

Installation

First things first, let's get that gem installed:

gem install hubspot-api-client

Easy peasy, right?

Authentication

Now, let's set up our authentication. It's as simple as this:

require 'hubspot-api-client'

client = Hubspot::Client.new(access_token: 'your-access-token')

Replace 'your-access-token' with your actual API key, and you're good to go!

Basic API Interaction

Let's start with something simple, like fetching contacts:

response = client.crm.contacts.basic_api.get_page

contacts = response.results
puts contacts.first.properties

Boom! You've just made your first API call.

Common Operations

Creating a Contact

properties = {
  email: '[email protected]',
  firstname: 'John',
  lastname: 'Doe'
}

client.crm.contacts.basic_api.create(properties: properties)

Updating a Contact

contact_id = '1'
properties = { company: 'Acme Inc.' }

client.crm.contacts.basic_api.update(contact_id: contact_id, properties: properties)

Deleting a Contact

client.crm.contacts.basic_api.archive(contact_id: contact_id)

Searching for Contacts

filter = { propertyName: 'email', operator: 'EQ', value: '[email protected]' }
filter_group = { filters: [filter] }
search_request = { filter_groups: [filter_group] }

results = client.crm.contacts.search_api.do_search(search_request)

Working with Other HubSpot Objects

The pattern is similar for companies, deals, and tickets. Just replace 'contacts' with the appropriate object:

client.crm.companies.basic_api
client.crm.deals.basic_api
client.crm.tickets.basic_api

For large datasets, you'll need to handle pagination:

after = nil
all_contacts = []

loop do
  response = client.crm.contacts.basic_api.get_page(after: after)
  all_contacts.concat(response.results)
  after = response.paging&.next&.after
  break unless after
end

Error Handling

Always wrap your API calls in a begin/rescue block:

begin
  # Your API call here
rescue Hubspot::ApiError => e
  puts "Error: #{e.message}"
end

Best Practices

Keep an eye on rate limits. HubSpot has daily and secondly limits.
Batch your operations when possible to reduce API calls.
Use search endpoints for filtering instead of fetching all data and filtering client-side.

Advanced Topics

Want to level up? Look into webhooks for real-time updates and batch operations for efficiency. But that's a story for another day!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to build a robust HubSpot integration using Ruby. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to experiment.

For more in-depth info, check out the HubSpot API documentation and the hubspot-api-client gem documentation.

Now go forth and code! You've got this. 🚀