Step by Step Guide to Building a Nutshell API Integration in JS

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your CRM game with Nutshell? Let's dive into building a slick API integration that'll make your life easier and your data flow smoother. Nutshell's API is a powerhouse, and we're about to harness it with some JavaScript magic.

Prerequisites

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

• A Nutshell API key (if you don't have one, go grab it from your account settings)
• Node.js installed (you're a pro, so I'm sure you've got this covered)
• Your favorite code editor at the ready

Setting up the project

Let's kick things off:

mkdir nutshell-api-integration
cd nutshell-api-integration
npm init -y
npm install axios dotenv

Create a .env file for your API key:

NUTSHELL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Authentication

Time to get cozy with Nutshell's API. Let's create a reusable authentication function:

require('dotenv').config();
const axios = require('axios');

const nutshellApi = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://app.nutshell.com/api/v1/',
  auth: {
    username: process.env.NUTSHELL_API_KEY,
    password: 'x'
  }
});

Making API requests

Now for the fun part - let's start making some requests!

GET request

Fetching contacts is a breeze:

async function getContacts() {
  try {
    const response = await nutshellApi.get('contacts');
    console.log(response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching contacts:', error);
  }
}

POST request

Creating a lead? Easy peasy:

async function createLead(leadData) {
  try {
    const response = await nutshellApi.post('leads', leadData);
    console.log('Lead created:', response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error creating lead:', error);
  }
}

PUT request

Updating an account? No sweat:

async function updateAccount(accountId, accountData) {
  try {
    const response = await nutshellApi.put(`accounts/${accountId}`, accountData);
    console.log('Account updated:', response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error updating account:', error);
  }
}

Error handling

We've already included some basic error handling, but let's beef it up:

function handleApiError(error) {
  if (error.response) {
    console.error('API Error:', error.response.status, error.response.data);
  } else if (error.request) {
    console.error('No response received:', error.request);
  } else {
    console.error('Error:', error.message);
  }
}

Use this in your try-catch blocks for more detailed error info.

Rate limiting

Nutshell's pretty generous with rate limits, but let's play nice:

const rateLimit = require('axios-rate-limit');

const nutshellApi = rateLimit(axios.create({
  // ... previous config
}), { maxRequests: 10, perMilliseconds: 1000 });

This ensures we don't bombard the API with requests.

Webhooks (optional)

Want real-time updates? Set up a webhook listener:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.post('/webhook', express.json(), (req, res) => {
  console.log('Webhook received:', req.body);
  // Process the webhook payload here
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Webhook listener running on port 3000'));

Testing

Don't forget to test your integration! Here's a quick example using Jest:

jest.mock('axios');

test('getContacts fetches contacts successfully', async () => {
  axios.get.mockResolvedValue({ data: [{ id: 1, name: 'John Doe' }] });
  await getContacts();
  expect(axios.get).toHaveBeenCalledWith('contacts');
});

Best practices

• Cache frequently accessed data to reduce API calls
• Use logging for debugging and monitoring (check out Winston or Bunyan)
• Keep your API key secure and never expose it in client-side code

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a robust Nutshell API integration. Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg - there's so much more you can do with Nutshell's API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, keep making your CRM work for you!

Need more info? Check out Nutshell's API documentation for the full scoop. Now go forth and integrate!