Magento web API

They made an API (Application Programming Interface) to exchange data efficiently in standard formats between distinct software. Thus Magento web APIs successfully work with the concept.  

Today, it is helping developers and integrators to build the service that can communicate with third-party modules. The best part is, it supports both REST and SOAP and is based on CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations.    

Technical right? Don’t worry! Before diving towards the technical world, let’s clear the basics with some amateur’s words. 

Do you ever log in a site with the help of your Facebook account? Or access Google maps on apps? The technology or should say data exchange tool working between the software are APIs. So what about when all these API things come to perform between Magneto built apps?  

Yeah, now we can discuss Magento web APIs.  

Understanding Magento Web APIs- The developers looking to use web services and want an efficient system to communicate with Magento systems, Magento Web APIs are for them. How it makes work easy for Magento developers is easy to understand with the following features of it. 

  • Supports both REST (Representational State Transfer) and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). 
  • Offers three types of authentication 
  1. OAuth 1.0a for third-party application authentication
  2. Tokenization method for mobile application authentication
  3. Login credential for administration and customer verification
  • Configuration possible with some lines of XML( Magento and Third-party API)
  • Supports field filtering of web API for conserve mobile response 
  • Based on the CRUD and search model
  • Help with various modules communication and task 
  • Connect Magento stores & control global inventory with a physical system such as POS
  • Easy Integration with CRM and ERP and backend systems such as Microsoft Salesforce dynamics and other software
  • Connect with CMS (Content Management System) 
  • Create JavaScript widgets on Magento frontend and backend

How is it useful for your business? 

  • Work as a communication bridge between the user and service providers. 
  • Helps to communicate various software and combinedly serves for the query. For example, UBER, Kayak, etc use Google maps. 
  • Letting you sign up with the help of FB and Google accounts.  

Meet Magento 2 REST APIs- When you enter Magento’s online store, search for your desired products and get a whole of the same projects. Do you know how it takes place? Yes, it is because of REST APIs.

The application programming interface is a set of rules that allow developers to talk to each other and also clients to the server. 

Basics of REST- Developers follow this set of rules when they create API.

  • Piece of Data called Resources
  • URL called Request 
  • Date send back called Response 
  • Endpoint is the URL you request for
  • Rootpoint is the starting point (API requested from)
  • Path is the resources you requested for 
  • (:) Any colons denote variable 
  • Query parameters are the final part of the endpoint and begin with (?)

Meet Magento 2 SOAP APIs- Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a messaging protocol that is a set of rules to communicate between web services. It serves verbosity, extensibility, independence and neutrality between the requester and serving providers. 

It allows developers to call upon processes running on disparate operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. By using XML it makes authentication, authorisation and communication processes easy. Despite other operating systems, SOAP allows clients to implore web services and receive responses independent of platform & languages.  

However, these days it is more about REST APIs than SOAP. Fast performance, ability to grow by reusing components and reliability, perhaps the reasons behind its name RESTful

How to get started with Magento Web APIs?

First step– Get started is to register a web service on Magento Admin. After that, do the following. 

  • For token-based authentication- Create a web service user (System > Permission > All users > Add new user)
  • For session-based (OAuth) authentication- No need to create a user in Admin.  

Second step- Create a new integration on Magento Admin (System > Extension > integration > Add new integration**)

Note: Don’t forget to restrict accessible integration resources. And for more guidance, use the user guide.  

In a nutshell!

We have gone through the depth of technicalities to collect this lucid Magento Web APIs insights for you. Hope the above discussion on APIs, REST APIs, SOAP APIs, and Magento Web APIs make you understand its importance. 

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