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CobbleStone's REST API Overview and Sample Application
Overview
CobbleStone Software’s Contract Insight application offers the functionality to integrate with outside systems. Application Program Interface delivers data and between devices and programs. Representational State Transfer program implementation increases efficiency of communication in computing systems.
What is API
An application programming interface (API) is a messenger that processes requests and ensures seamless functioning of enterprise systems. API enables interaction between data, applications, and devices. It delivers data and facilitates connectivity between devices and programs.
What is REST
Representational state transfer (REST) is a programming architectural implementation intended to increase the efficiency of communication in computing systems. It embodies the idea that the best way to share large amounts of data between multiple parties is to make that data available on-demand by sharing references to that data rather than a complete copy of the data itself. Systems which implement REST are called 'RESTful' systems.
More about REST
An example of a non-RESTful real-world system would be the traditional home movie collection. In order to have access to any given movie, the library owner must obtain a physical copy of it. This results in substantial waste as more copies are in existence than are in use at any given moment. Also, the time required to add new titles to the library is generally non-trivial. Streaming video is the RESTful counterpart to the home library. Instead of having a complete copy of every movie stored in the home, the movie is referred to by its title only and the content of the movie is streamed on demand.
CSS API 2.0
This would be the next generation of APIs from CobbleStone as RESTful implementation where it would be installed as separate application side by side with Contract Insight either on cloud or on-premise.
Consumers of the API (End-User) would be able to access desired endpoints dedicated for each entity, for example to access Contracts table then the consumer would create a web call to the REST endpoint passing entity name as first parameter with any query criteria if needed.
Operations on data through this APIs would reflect the same as Contract Insight where only Insert and Update are available and Delete is not allowed.
OAuth is an open standard for access delegation, commonly used as a way for Internet users to grant websites or applications access to their information on other websites but without giving them the passwords.
How this is authenticated:
- This version of API has its own separated list of authenticated users but linked to the users list in Contract Insight for logging purpose only and the authentication mechanism
How this is secured:
- Our APIs would use SSL to authenticate, send and receive data from the consumer.
How This is triggered:
- Our API does not offer notification or monitoring functionality to the consumer. It does not notify the consumer about a change that happened to any record or field within CobbleStone data so it cannot be used to implement a real time system but only “Near Realtime/Scheduled” and “Batch”.
Access Level
- The username and password must belong to an active system administrator.
To review detailed information about the wiki including a fully functioning sample application that can be used to test the endpoints of your CobbleStone Software's REST API, please download the zip attachment at the bottom of the screen.
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