Step by Step Guide to Building a New Relic API Integration in Python

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your monitoring game? Let's dive into building a New Relic API integration using Python. New Relic's API is a powerhouse for fetching performance data, and with Python, we'll make it sing. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

• A Python environment (3.6+ recommended)
• A New Relic account with an API key (if you don't have one, grab it from your account settings)

Installation

First things first, let's get the New Relic package installed:

pip install newrelic

Easy peasy, right?

Authentication

Now, let's set up authentication. You'll need your API key for this:

import newrelic.agent

newrelic.agent.initialize('/path/to/newrelic.ini')

Pro tip: Keep that API key secret! Use environment variables or a secure config file.

Basic API Requests

Let's start with some basic requests. Here's a GET request to fetch your app list:

import requests

headers = {'X-Api-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'}
response = requests.get('https://api.newrelic.com/v2/applications.json', headers=headers)
print(response.json())

And here's a POST request to create a deployment marker:

data = {
    'deployment': {
        'revision': 'YOUR_REVISION',
        'changelog': 'Your changelog',
        'description': 'Deployment description'
    }
}
response = requests.post(f'https://api.newrelic.com/v2/applications/{app_id}/deployments.json', headers=headers, json=data)

Working with New Relic Data

Want to query some metrics? Try this:

query = 'SELECT average(duration) FROM Transaction WHERE appId = 12345678 SINCE 1 hour ago'
response = requests.get('https://insights-api.newrelic.com/v1/accounts/YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID/query', headers=headers, params={'nrql': query})

Error Handling and Best Practices

Always handle those pesky rate limits:

if response.status_code == 429:
    retry_after = int(response.headers.get('Retry-After', 60))
    time.sleep(retry_after)

And wrap your requests in try/except blocks for robust error handling.

Advanced Features

Ready to level up? Let's customize those queries:

query = f"""SELECT count(*) FROM Transaction 
            WHERE appName = '{app_name}' 
            AND httpResponseCode != '200' 
            FACET httpResponseCode 
            SINCE 1 day ago"""

Performance Optimization

Cache those results to avoid hammering the API:

import cachetools

@cachetools.cached(cache=cachetools.TTLCache(maxsize=100, ttl=300))
def get_app_health(app_id):
    # Your API call here

Testing and Debugging

Always test your integration:

import unittest

class TestNewRelicIntegration(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_api_connection(self):
        # Your test here

Deployment Considerations

When deploying, remember:

• Use environment variables for API keys
• Implement proper logging
• Consider using async requests for better performance in production

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed with the knowledge to build a robust New Relic API integration in Python. Remember, the key is to start simple and build up. Happy coding, and may your apps always perform at their peak!

For more advanced techniques, check out the New Relic API docs. Now go forth and monitor like a pro!