Step by Step Guide to Building a Woodpecker.co API Integration in Java

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your outreach game with Woodpecker.co? Let's dive into building a slick Java integration for their API. We'll cover everything you need to get up and running, so buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

• A Java development environment (I know you've got this covered!)
• Your Woodpecker.co API key (if you don't have one, grab it from your account settings)
• An HTTP client library (we'll use OkHttp, but feel free to use your favorite)

Setting up the project

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

1. Create a new Java project in your IDE of choice.
2. Add the OkHttp dependency to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.squareup.okhttp3</groupId>
    <artifactId>okhttp</artifactId>
    <version>4.10.0</version>
</dependency>

Authentication

Woodpecker.co uses API key authentication. Let's create a simple client to handle this:

import okhttp3.*;

public class WoodpeckerClient {
    private final OkHttpClient client;
    private final String apiKey;
    private static final String BASE_URL = "https://api.woodpecker.co/rest/v1/";

    public WoodpeckerClient(String apiKey) {
        this.apiKey = apiKey;
        this.client = new OkHttpClient();
    }

    // We'll add more methods here soon!
}

Making API requests

Now, let's add methods to make GET and POST requests:

public String get(String endpoint) throws IOException {
    Request request = new Request.Builder()
        .url(BASE_URL + endpoint)
        .addHeader("Authorization", apiKey)
        .build();

    try (Response response = client.newCall(request).execute()) {
        return response.body().string();
    }
}

public String post(String endpoint, String json) throws IOException {
    RequestBody body = RequestBody.create(json, MediaType.get("application/json; charset=utf-8"));
    Request request = new Request.Builder()
        .url(BASE_URL + endpoint)
        .addHeader("Authorization", apiKey)
        .post(body)
        .build();

    try (Response response = client.newCall(request).execute()) {
        return response.body().string();
    }
}

Implementing key Woodpecker.co API endpoints

Let's implement methods for campaigns, prospects, and statistics:

public String getCampaigns() throws IOException {
    return get("campaigns");
}

public String addProspect(String campaignId, String email, String firstName) throws IOException {
    String json = String.format("{\"campaign\":%s,\"email\":\"%s\",\"first_name\":\"%s\"}", campaignId, email, firstName);
    return post("prospects", json);
}

public String getStatistics(String campaignId) throws IOException {
    return get("statistics/campaign/" + campaignId);
}

Error handling and best practices

Always handle exceptions and respect rate limits:

public String makeApiCall(String endpoint) {
    try {
        return get(endpoint);
    } catch (IOException e) {
        System.err.println("API call failed: " + e.getMessage());
        return null;
    }
}

Pro tip: Implement exponential backoff for rate limiting!

Testing the integration

Here's a quick test to make sure everything's working:

public class WoodpeckerTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WoodpeckerClient client = new WoodpeckerClient("your-api-key");
        try {
            System.out.println(client.getCampaigns());
        } catch (IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Example use case

Let's put it all together and add a prospect to a campaign:

WoodpeckerClient client = new WoodpeckerClient("your-api-key");
String campaignId = "123456";
String email = "[email protected]";
String firstName = "John";

try {
    String result = client.addProspect(campaignId, email, firstName);
    System.out.println("Prospect added: " + result);
} catch (IOException e) {
    System.err.println("Failed to add prospect: " + e.getMessage());
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for integrating Woodpecker.co into your Java projects. From here, you can expand on this client, add more endpoints, and really make it sing.

Remember, the API is your oyster – don't be afraid to explore and experiment. Happy coding, and may your outreach campaigns be ever successful!