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

Aug 9, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your app with some email marketing goodness? Let's dive into integrating the Sendinblue API into your JavaScript project. This powerhouse of an API will let you send transactional emails, manage contacts, and run campaigns like a pro. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

Node.js and npm installed (you're a dev, so I'm sure you do!)
A Sendinblue account with an API key (if not, go grab one real quick)

Setting up the project

Let's get this show on the road:

mkdir sendinblue-integration
cd sendinblue-integration
npm init -y
npm install sib-api-v3-sdk

Boom! Project initialized and SDK installed. We're cooking with gas now.

Authenticating with Sendinblue API

Time to make friends with the Sendinblue API:

const SibApiV3Sdk = require('sib-api-v3-sdk');
const defaultClient = SibApiV3Sdk.ApiClient.instance;

const apiKey = defaultClient.authentications['api-key'];
apiKey.apiKey = 'YOUR_API_KEY';

Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with your actual API key, and you're in!

Implementing core functionalities

Sending transactional emails

Let's fire off an email:

const apiInstance = new SibApiV3Sdk.TransactionalEmailsApi();
const sendSmtpEmail = new SibApiV3Sdk.SendSmtpEmail();

sendSmtpEmail.subject = "Hello from Sendinblue!";
sendSmtpEmail.htmlContent = "<html><body><h1>This is a test email</h1></body></html>";
sendSmtpEmail.sender = { "name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]" };
sendSmtpEmail.to = [{ "email": "[email protected]", "name": "Jane Doe" }];

apiInstance.sendTransacEmail(sendSmtpEmail).then(
  function(data) {
    console.log('API called successfully. Email sent.');
  },
  function(error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
);

Managing contact lists

Add a new contact to a list:

const apiInstance = new SibApiV3Sdk.ContactsApi();
const createContact = new SibApiV3Sdk.CreateContact();

createContact.email = "[email protected]";
createContact.attributes = { "FNAME": "John", "LNAME": "Doe" };
createContact.listIds = [2, 4]; // Replace with your actual list IDs

apiInstance.createContact(createContact).then(
  function(data) {
    console.log('Contact created successfully.');
  },
  function(error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
);

Creating and sending campaigns

Whip up a quick campaign:

const apiInstance = new SibApiV3Sdk.EmailCampaignsApi();
const emailCampaigns = new SibApiV3Sdk.CreateEmailCampaign();

emailCampaigns.name = "My first campaign";
emailCampaigns.subject = "Welcome to our newsletter!";
emailCampaigns.sender = { "name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]" };
emailCampaigns.type = "classic";
emailCampaigns.htmlContent = "<html><body><h1>Welcome aboard!</h1></body></html>";
emailCampaigns.recipients = { "listIds": [2, 4] }; // Replace with your actual list IDs

apiInstance.createEmailCampaign(emailCampaigns).then(
  function(data) {
    console.log('Campaign created successfully.');
  },
  function(error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
);

Retrieving statistics

Let's grab some juicy stats:

const apiInstance = new SibApiV3Sdk.EmailCampaignsApi();

apiInstance.getEmailCampaigns().then(
  function(data) {
    console.log('Campaigns retrieved successfully:', data);
  },
  function(error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
);

Error handling and best practices

Always wrap your API calls in try-catch blocks and respect rate limits. Sendinblue's pretty generous, but don't go wild!

try {
  // Your API call here
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Oops! Something went wrong:', error.message);
}

Testing the integration

Time to put our creation through its paces. Set up some test scenarios:

Send a test email to yourself
Create a test contact list
Add a contact to the list
Create and send a test campaign
Retrieve and check the campaign stats

If all goes well, you'll be seeing successful API responses across the board. High five!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Sendinblue API integration. You're now armed with the power to send emails, manage contacts, and run campaigns like a marketing ninja.

For more advanced features and in-depth documentation, check out the Sendinblue API docs.

Now go forth and email with confidence! Happy coding!