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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Uscreen API integration? You're in for a treat. Uscreen's API is a powerful tool that'll let you tap into their video streaming platform, and we're going to build that integration using Ruby. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

• Ruby 2.7+ installed
• The httparty gem (we'll use this for API requests)
• Your Uscreen API credentials (if you don't have these, hop over to your Uscreen dashboard and grab 'em)

Setting up the project

Let's get this show on the road:

mkdir uscreen_integration
cd uscreen_integration
bundle init

Now, open up your Gemfile and add:

gem 'httparty'

Run bundle install, and we're off to the races!

Authentication

Uscreen uses API keys for authentication. Here's how to set it up:

require 'httparty'

class UscreenClient
  include HTTParty
  base_uri 'https://api.uscreen.tv'

  def initialize(api_key)
    @options = { headers: { 'Authorization' => "Bearer #{api_key}" } }
  end

  # We'll add more methods here soon!
end

Making API requests

Now for the fun part - let's make some requests:

def get_users
  self.class.get('/v1/users', @options)
end

def create_subscription(user_id, plan_id)
  self.class.post("/v1/users/#{user_id}/subscriptions", @options.merge(body: { plan_id: plan_id }))
end

Implementing key Uscreen API features

Let's put these methods to work:

client = UscreenClient.new('your_api_key_here')

# Fetch users
users = client.get_users
puts users

# Create a subscription
response = client.create_subscription('user_123', 'plan_456')
puts response

Error handling and best practices

Always expect the unexpected:

def get_users
  response = self.class.get('/v1/users', @options)
  
  case response.code
  when 200
    response
  when 429
    raise "Rate limit exceeded. Try again in #{response.headers['Retry-After']} seconds."
  else
    raise "API request failed with status code: #{response.code}"
  end
end

Testing the integration

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

RSpec.describe UscreenClient do
  let(:client) { UscreenClient.new('fake_api_key') }

  describe '#get_users' do
    it 'fetches users successfully' do
      stub_request(:get, "https://api.uscreen.tv/v1/users")
        .to_return(status: 200, body: '{"users": []}', headers: {})

      expect(client.get_users.code).to eq(200)
    end
  end
end

Deployment considerations

When deploying, remember:

• Keep your API key secret (use environment variables!)
• Consider implementing caching to reduce API calls
• Monitor your API usage to stay within rate limits

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a Uscreen API integration in Ruby. Pretty cool, right? Remember, this is just scratching the surface. Uscreen's API has a ton more features to explore, so don't be afraid to dive deeper.

For more info, check out the Uscreen API docs. Now go forth and build something awesome!