Connect to web APIs
The term web API (Application Programing Interface) refers to any service that you can call over the web using standard "http://"" URL addresses. Some APIs allow you to read data/content, while others let you upload data/content and receive something else back.
You have likely noticed that mobile apps on your phone are able to seamlessly work with each other. That is because they use web APIs under the covers. Tag lets you pull back the covers, and control exactly how you make API calls.
Web APIs have been steadily growing in popularity over several years, and there are now tens of thousands to choose from. Some services are free and some charge a fee, but they all share the same basic mechanics. The Connect app in Tag is a free no-code tool that takes care of the mechanics for you.
The range of available web APIs is staggering. The best place to start is a review of the following marketplaces and API listings.
RapidAPI offers a shared account mechanism, where your single RapidAPI account can be used with many of the APIs in their listing. In some cases you will still need to create an account with the API provider, but often just your RapidAPI account will be enough.
The Connect app includes a RapidAPI-specific feature. When you find an API that you want to call, you can copy code snippets from the RapidAPI website. If you copy the HTTP/1.1 snippet, you can paste that directly into Connect to insert all API information at once.
Tag's Connect app contains an easy to use form that defines a web API call. The most important information is the URL, and in some cases that's all you need.
Some APIs will expect values embedded in the URL (parameters) and/or header values (a list of key/value pairs). If authentication is needed, you will have to provide an account name/password or an apikey (see below).
The Connect app includes a way to securely store apikeys and use them in API calls. Using Tag preferences, you create a named list of apikeys and store the secret values in only one place. These apikeys are stored in a secure file on your computer, and are not replicated on our web server or anywhere else.
In the Connect editor, you can insert the string "<apikey>" in the URL or a header value. When making the call, Tag will insert the real apikey stored in your preferences for the selected API provider.
When you save information about an API call in Connect, it is called a Connector and given a name. Connectors are stored locally on your computer and can be saved to a file for sharing.
Connectors can be called from pipelines. They work just like standard http-request steps, but also allow apikeys to be stored separately (an important point if you are sharing API information with other people). Using pipelines you can chain multiple API calls together, which is a very powerful technique. Connectors can also be used in the Scribe app to import data into forms.
The Connect app can be used for free and is available to Community and all other subscriptions. We want to make it easy for you to explore the expanding world of web APIs, and realize how big of an impact they can have on the way your organization works.
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