Online businesses depend on e-commerce sites to sell their products. Web hosting providers include step-by-step instructions to help them customize their store. Some will offer services to create the design and functionality for an additional price.
Developers spend time writing code that will make e-commerce sites fit the needs of businesses. Others will use software that allow them to add information with just a few clicks. These tools are called API: Application Programming Interface.
Sites such as Godaddy, Bluehost and Squarespace have options for individuals and businesses to use different APIs for their site. Some have to be bought separately and integrated into a site. One option that has advantages over others is Magento 2 REST API.
In the following sections, we will discuss what Magento 2 REST API is, why it is beneficial for an online store and how to create a RESTful API.
What Is Magento 2 REST API?
It is a framework that allows developers to create various communication services for online stores that utilize Magento 2. This latest version includes REST, REpresentational State Transfer, and provides a function that makes searching through a site easier.
The term RESTful API means that when it is called, the server will transmit a representational state of the content the client requested to them. Basically, it will produce information that’s been searched for within a site or server in the simplest form.
A simple example of how this information is represented can be seen in this video. The outcome is shown in a language called JSON.
JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation and the code is presented within regular and curly brackets ([]{}). The actual content or data is placed within double quotes. Two sets of information is separated between a colon: “leftSide”: “rightSide”.
All of this is just a way to easily present the data once it has been retrieved.
This latest version of Magento 2 also supports SOAP, Simple Object Access Protocol, which assists in exchanging information between computers. And it also uses a search model called CRUD, Create Read Update Delete.
Now that we have a basic understanding of this framework, let’s go through some of its advantages.
What Advantages Are There To Using Magento 2 REST API?
There is a long list of advantages for a company to use Magento 2 REST API to help build their business. Here are just a few:
- Scalable Online Shopping Cart
A company can create a scalable design for their shopping cart. All platforms (desktop, tablet and mobile) will have a consistent view.
- Easy Integration
Magento software can be installed and integrated into an existing online store.
- Online Marketing
There are tools to add SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to the online store. This will bring interested, potential customers to the site.
- Multiple Sites
A company can have multiple domains and share each stores inventory for marketability.
- Three Authentication Methods
Developers can now use three authentication methods: third-party applications using OAuth 1.0a, mobile applications using tokens and login credentials for both admins and customers.
- Web App Creation
Another way for a company to increase sales is to build an app to help their customers make purchases from their mobile device.
Although we’ve gone through a brief explanation of this framework and its advantages, we haven’t seen the coding that’s involved. In this last section, we’ll take a look at the programming developers use for this framework.
How to Create a RESTful API?
The creators of Magento 2 have developed an easy to use interface for coders. This video provides a simple concept and example of how to create content for a RESTful API. Here is a summary of the clip.
The developer enters their username and password for the admin panel. Once inside, they will scroll down, look for “System”and click on it. They will then select “User Roles” and click on “Add New Role”.
The new user is given a name “Web Service Role”. To give them a new set of resources, the developer will scroll down the list of “Role Resources” and choose a few options. After this task has been completed, click on “Save Role”.
Now that the user has been assigned their newly created tasks, their identifying information is added. The developer will now go back to “System”, click on “All Users” and select “Add New User”. This person is given a username, their first and last name, a password, address, email and other important information. Once entered, the content is again saved.
This is a very basic example of how to create a RESTful API and what a developer can do using the Magento 2 REST API framework. More advanced tasks can be done after some training has been completed.
As mentioned earlier, a RESTful API shows the representational state of data that’s requested. Besides being shown in JSON form, it can also be viewed using XML.
eXtensible Markup Language defines a set of rules that can be read easily by both computers and humans. The following is a short example of how XML looks:
<person>
<first>Douglas</first>
<last>Harrison</last>
<email>[email protected]</email>
<user>dharrison</user>
<password>private</password>
<movies>the matrix</movies>
<tv>CSI</tv>
<food>pizza</food>
</person>
Just like JSON, the coding for XML doesn’t do anything. It is stored data that can be accessed using other programming methods. Here is a more detailed video on how both JSON and XML is used.
Conclusion
Magento 2 REST API is a beneficial framework for both online businesses and developers. Businesses are able to utilize their tools, receive support and advance the scalability of their stores. This increases sales and marketability, causing expansion to their profit margin.
Developers are given accessibility to the tools needed to create secured content and logins for customers. The three authentication methods and easy to use framework assists developers in completing their tasks quickly.
All of the new features with this upgrade is beneficial to the e-commerce industry. It has expanded the services offered by other popular APIs and is a great option.
If you’re interested in learning more about Magento 2 REST API, check out their site and read through their resources. This will help you decide what direction to take your business in and rework what you want to accomplish.