Step by Step Guide to Building a Zillow Leads API Integration in Go

Aug 11, 2024 • 9 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Go enthusiast! Ready to dive into the world of real estate data? We're about to embark on an exciting journey to integrate the Zillow Leads API into a Go application. This powerful API will give you access to a treasure trove of lead information, perfect for real estate applications or market analysis tools. Let's roll up our sleeves and get coding!

Prerequisites

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

Go installed on your machine (version 1.16+ recommended)
Zillow API credentials (if you don't have them, head over to Zillow's developer portal)
Your favorite code editor (VSCode, GoLand, or whatever floats your boat)

We'll be using a few Go packages, but we'll install those as we go along. No need to worry about them just yet!

Setting up the project

First things first, let's create our project structure:

mkdir zillow-leads-integration
cd zillow-leads-integration
go mod init github.com/yourusername/zillow-leads-integration

Great! We've got our project set up and Go modules initialized. We're off to a solid start!

Authentication

Zillow uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication. Let's implement the flow:

package main

import (
    "golang.org/x/oauth2"
)

func getOAuthConfig() *oauth2.Config {
    return &oauth2.Config{
        ClientID:     "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
        ClientSecret: "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
        Endpoint: oauth2.Endpoint{
            AuthURL:  "https://www.zillow.com/oauth/authorize",
            TokenURL: "https://www.zillow.com/oauth/token",
        },
        RedirectURL: "YOUR_REDIRECT_URL",
        Scopes:      []string{"leads:read", "leads:write"},
    }
}

Remember to replace the placeholders with your actual Zillow API credentials. We'll use this config to get and refresh our access tokens.

Core API Integration

Now, let's create a client to handle our API requests:

package zillow

import (
    "net/http"
    "time"
)

type Client struct {
    httpClient *http.Client
    baseURL    string
}

func NewClient(httpClient *http.Client) *Client {
    if httpClient == nil {
        httpClient = &http.Client{Timeout: 10 * time.Second}
    }
    return &Client{
        httpClient: httpClient,
        baseURL:    "https://api.zillow.com/v2/",
    }
}

This client will be the foundation for all our API calls. It includes a default timeout and the base URL for Zillow's API.

Implementing key endpoints

Let's implement a method to retrieve lead lists:

func (c *Client) GetLeadLists() ([]LeadList, error) {
    resp, err := c.httpClient.Get(c.baseURL + "lead-lists")
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    // Parse the response and return lead lists
    // ...
}

You'll want to implement similar methods for fetching lead details and updating lead information. Remember to handle pagination for large result sets!

Error handling and logging

Robust error handling is crucial. Let's set up a custom error type:

type APIError struct {
    StatusCode int
    Message    string
}

func (e *APIError) Error() string {
    return fmt.Sprintf("API error: %d - %s", e.StatusCode, e.Message)
}

For logging, consider using a package like logrus for structured logging:

import "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"

log := logrus.New()
log.SetFormatter(&logrus.JSONFormatter{})

Data processing and storage

When you receive lead data, you'll want to parse and store it. Here's a simple example using a struct and JSON unmarshaling:

type Lead struct {
    ID        string `json:"id"`
    FirstName string `json:"firstName"`
    LastName  string `json:"lastName"`
    Email     string `json:"email"`
}

func parseLeadResponse(data []byte) ([]Lead, error) {
    var leads []Lead
    err := json.Unmarshal(data, &leads)
    return leads, err
}

For storage, consider using a database like PostgreSQL or MongoDB, depending on your needs.

Building a simple CLI tool

Let's create a basic CLI to interact with our integration:

package main

import (
    "flag"
    "fmt"
    "os"
)

func main() {
    listCmd := flag.NewFlagSet("list", flag.ExitOnError)
    getCmd := flag.NewFlagSet("get", flag.ExitOnError)

    if len(os.Args) < 2 {
        fmt.Println("expected 'list' or 'get' subcommands")
        os.Exit(1)
    }

    switch os.Args[1] {
    case "list":
        listCmd.Parse(os.Args[2:])
        // Call your GetLeadLists function here
    case "get":
        getCmd.Parse(os.Args[2:])
        // Call your GetLead function here
    default:
        fmt.Println("expected 'list' or 'get' subcommands")
        os.Exit(1)
    }
}

Testing

Don't forget to write tests! Here's a simple example:

func TestGetLeadLists(t *testing.T) {
    client := NewClient(nil)
    lists, err := client.GetLeadLists()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("GetLeadLists failed: %v", err)
    }
    if len(lists) == 0 {
        t.Error("Expected non-empty lead lists")
    }
}

Performance optimization

To improve performance, consider implementing caching:

import "github.com/patrickmn/go-cache"

c := cache.New(5*time.Minute, 10*time.Minute)

// In your GetLeadLists function
if cached, found := c.Get("lead_lists"); found {
    return cached.([]LeadList), nil
}
// If not found, fetch from API and cache the result

Deployment considerations

For deployment, consider using Docker:

FROM golang:1.16-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY go.mod ./
COPY go.sum ./
RUN go mod download
COPY *.go ./
RUN go build -o /zillow-leads-cli
CMD [ "/zillow-leads-cli" ]

Conclusion

And there you have it! We've built a solid foundation for a Zillow Leads API integration in Go. From authentication to data processing, we've covered the key aspects of working with this powerful API. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's always room for improvement and expansion.

Keep exploring the Zillow API documentation for more features you can integrate, and don't be afraid to experiment with different Go packages and tools to enhance your application. Happy coding, and may your leads be ever plentiful!

Resources

Now go forth and conquer the real estate data world with your shiny new Go integration!