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

Aug 14, 2024 • 5 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Ruby enthusiast! Ready to supercharge your app with push notifications? Look no further than OneSignal. It's a powerhouse for cross-platform notifications, and guess what? We've got a nifty Ruby gem to make integration a breeze. Let's dive in!

Prerequisites

Before we get our hands dirty, make sure you've got:

Ruby 2.4 or higher (come on, you're not living in the stone age, right?)
A OneSignal account (it's free to start, so no excuses!)

Installation

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

# In your Gemfile
gem 'onesignal'

# Then in your terminal
bundle install

Easy peasy, right?

Configuration

Now, let's set up those credentials. Don't worry, it's not rocket science:

require 'onesignal'

OneSignal.configure do |config|
  config.app_id = 'YOUR_APP_ID'
  config.api_key = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
end

# Create a client
client = OneSignal::Client.new

Pro tip: Keep those credentials safe! Use environment variables or a secrets manager.

Basic Usage

Time to send your first notification! It's as simple as:

# Send to all subscribers
client.notifications.create(contents: {en: "Hello, World!"})

# Send to specific devices
client.notifications.create(
  contents: {en: "Hey, you!"},
  include_player_ids: ['player_id_1', 'player_id_2']
)

Boom! You're now a notification wizard.

Advanced Features

Ready to level up? Let's explore some cool features:

Scheduling

client.notifications.create(
  contents: {en: "This is from the future!"},
  send_after: "2023-12-31 23:59:59 GMT-0000"
)

Segmentation

client.notifications.create(
  contents: {en: "VIP content here!"},
  filters: [
    {field: "tag", key: "level", relation: "=", value: "VIP"}
  ]
)

Handling Responses

Always check your responses. OneSignal's got your back with detailed feedback:

response = client.notifications.create(contents: {en: "Did it work?"})
puts response.body['id'] # Notification ID if successful
puts response.body['errors'] if response.body['errors']

Best Practices

Respect rate limits. OneSignal's not a fan of spam.
Keep your API key secret. Seriously, don't push it to GitHub.
Use segments and tags for targeted notifications. Your users will thank you.

Testing

Testing in production? Not on my watch! Use OneSignal's sandbox:

OneSignal.configure do |config|
  # ... other config
  config.sandbox = true
end

For unit tests, mock those API calls. Your CI/CD pipeline will love you for it.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed and dangerous with OneSignal integration in Ruby. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility – use these notifications wisely!

Need more? Check out the OneSignal docs and the onesignal gem repo.

Now go forth and notify! 🚀