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

Aug 17, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Uscreen API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be walking through the process of building a robust C# integration with Uscreen's API, allowing you to tap into their video hosting and subscription management capabilities. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
.NET Core SDK (latest version)
Uscreen API credentials (if you don't have these, hop over to Uscreen's developer portal and grab 'em)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's get our project set up:

Fire up Visual Studio and create a new C# Console Application.
Once that's done, we'll need to add a few NuGet packages. Open up the Package Manager Console and run:

Install-Package Newtonsoft.Json
Install-Package RestSharp

These will handle our JSON serialization and HTTP requests, respectively.

Authentication

Uscreen uses API key authentication, which is pretty straightforward. Let's create a class to handle this:

public class UscreenApiClient
{
    private readonly string _apiKey;
    private readonly RestClient _client;

    public UscreenApiClient(string apiKey)
    {
        _apiKey = apiKey;
        _client = new RestClient("https://api.uscreen.tv");
    }

    // We'll add more methods here later
}

Making API requests

Now, let's add a method to make API calls:

private async Task<T> MakeRequest<T>(RestRequest request)
{
    request.AddHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {_apiKey}");
    var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync<T>(request);
    
    if (!response.IsSuccessful)
    {
        throw new Exception($"API request failed: {response.ErrorMessage}");
    }

    return response.Data;
}

Implementing key Uscreen API endpoints

Let's implement a couple of key endpoints:

public async Task<User> GetUser(int userId)
{
    var request = new RestRequest($"users/{userId}", Method.GET);
    return await MakeRequest<User>(request);
}

public async Task<Video> CreateVideo(Video video)
{
    var request = new RestRequest("videos", Method.POST);
    request.AddJsonBody(video);
    return await MakeRequest<Video>(request);
}

Error handling and logging

Always expect the unexpected! Let's add some error handling:

try
{
    var user = await apiClient.GetUser(123);
    Console.WriteLine($"User retrieved: {user.Name}");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Oops! Something went wrong: {ex.Message}");
    // You might want to log this error to a file or monitoring service
}

Asynchronous operations

Notice how we're using async/await in our methods? This allows for non-blocking API calls, which is crucial for maintaining responsiveness in your application.

Testing the integration

Don't forget to test! Here's a quick example using xUnit:

public class UscreenApiClientTests
{
    [Fact]
    public async Task GetUser_ReturnsUser()
    {
        var client = new UscreenApiClient("your-api-key");
        var user = await client.GetUser(123);
        Assert.NotNull(user);
        Assert.Equal(123, user.Id);
    }
}

Best practices and optimization

Remember to respect Uscreen's rate limits and consider implementing caching for frequently accessed data. Your future self (and Uscreen's servers) will thank you!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for your Uscreen API integration in C#. From here, you can expand on this base, implementing more endpoints as needed for your specific use case.

Remember, the key to a great integration is understanding the API documentation thoroughly and writing clean, maintainable code. Keep iterating, keep testing, and most importantly, keep coding!

Additional resources

Happy coding, and may your streams never buffer!