Step by Step Guide to Building a Productboard API Integration in C#

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Productboard API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be building a robust C# integration that'll have you managing features like a pro. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

• Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
• .NET Core 3.1 or later
• A Productboard account with API access

Got all that? Great! Let's move on.

Setting up the project

Fire up your IDE and create a new C# project. We'll be using a console app for simplicity, but feel free to adapt this to your needs.

Next, let's grab some NuGet packages:

dotnet add package Newtonsoft.Json
dotnet add package RestSharp

These will make our lives easier when dealing with JSON and HTTP requests.

Authentication

Productboard uses API key authentication. Let's set that up:

private const string ApiKey = "your-api-key-here";
private const string BaseUrl = "https://api.productboard.com";

var client = new RestClient(BaseUrl);
client.AddDefaultHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {ApiKey}");

Easy peasy, right?

Making API requests

Let's create a base API client class:

public class ProductboardClient
{
    private readonly RestClient _client;

    public ProductboardClient(string apiKey)
    {
        _client = new RestClient(BaseUrl);
        _client.AddDefaultHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {apiKey}");
    }

    public async Task<T> GetAsync<T>(string endpoint)
    {
        var request = new RestRequest(endpoint);
        var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync<T>(request);
        return response.Data;
    }

    // Implement Post, Put, Delete methods similarly
}

Implementing key Productboard API endpoints

Now, let's add some methods to work with features:

public async Task<List<Feature>> GetFeaturesAsync()
{
    return await GetAsync<List<Feature>>("/features");
}

public async Task<Feature> CreateFeatureAsync(Feature feature)
{
    return await PostAsync<Feature>("/features", feature);
}

// Implement Update and Delete similarly

Error handling and logging

Don't forget to wrap your API calls in try-catch blocks and log any errors:

try
{
    var features = await client.GetFeaturesAsync();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Error fetching features: {ex.Message}");
    // Log the error
}

Data mapping and serialization

Create C# models for Productboard objects:

public class Feature
{
    public string Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Description { get; set; }
    // Add other properties as needed
}

Implementing pagination and rate limiting

Productboard uses cursor-based pagination. Here's how to handle it:

public async Task<List<Feature>> GetAllFeaturesAsync()
{
    var allFeatures = new List<Feature>();
    string cursor = null;

    do
    {
        var response = await GetAsync<FeatureResponse>($"/features?cursor={cursor}");
        allFeatures.AddRange(response.Data);
        cursor = response.NextCursor;
    } while (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(cursor));

    return allFeatures;
}

As for rate limiting, Productboard is pretty generous, but it's good practice to add a small delay between requests if you're making a lot of them.

Testing the integration

Write some unit tests for your client methods and integration tests that actually hit the API. Here's a quick example:

[Fact]
public async Task GetFeatures_ReturnsFeatures()
{
    var client = new ProductboardClient(ApiKey);
    var features = await client.GetFeaturesAsync();
    Assert.NotEmpty(features);
}

Best practices and optimization

Consider implementing caching for frequently accessed data and use async/await throughout your code for better performance.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Productboard API integration in C#. You can now fetch, create, update, and delete features with ease.

Remember, this is just the beginning. You can expand this integration to work with other Productboard endpoints, implement more advanced error handling, or even build a full-fledged Productboard SDK.

Happy coding, and may your product roadmap be ever clear!