api Archives - Crafty Techie

API vs Web Application: Key Differences Explored in 2023

An API and web application are both essential components of modern software development. They both play a crucial role in allowing different systems to communicate with each other and enabling developers to build complex applications. However, there are significant differences between the two, and it's important to understand these differences to determine which one is best suited for a particular use case. Let's discuss API vs Web Applications in detail. Differences Between APIs & Web Applications At a high level, an API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of protocols, routines, and tools for building software applications. APIs allow different systems to communicate, enabling developers to create more complex applications by leveraging the functionality of other systems. On the other hand, a web application is a software application that runs on a web server and is accessed through a web browser. Web applications can be simple, like a single-page website,…

Send SMS Using PHP: 3 Best Options With Code Examples (2023)

How to Send SMS using PHP SMS (Short Message Service) is a popular communication channel that allows businesses to interact with customers in real time. It is widely used for notifications, alerts, authentication, and marketing. Integrating SMS functionality into PHP applications can be valuable to any web-based business. This article will explore different ways to send SMS using PHP. We will look at two options: sending SMS using SMTP in PHP and SMS using APIs in PHP. We will also explore three popular SMS APIs that can be used with PHP: Twilio, AWS SNS, and Clickatell. Finally, we will examine some alternative SMS APIs for sending SMS messages. Comparison Chart | Send SMS using PHP Here’s a quick comparison between Twilio, AWS SNS, and ClickaTell. FeaturesTwilioAWS SNSClickaTellSupported countries150+200+200+API simplicityHighMediumHighCost-effectivenessMediumHighMediumTwo-factor authenticationYesYesYesDelivery statusYesYesYesMultiple messaging channelsYesYesYesAnalyticsYesYesYesPersonalizationYesYesYesShortcodesYesYesYesScalabilityHighHighHighCustomer support24/724/724/7 Article Highlights Two options to send SMS are using SMTP servers or SMS APIs. SMTP is…

How to Create an API Contract (correctly) with Code Examples

How to create an API Contract Creating an API contract involves designing, documenting, testing, and maintaining a well-defined interface between software applications. Steps to Create an API Contract Identify API requirements: Determine user needs and the scope of the API to list its key functionalities and endpoints. Choose a suitable data format: Pick an appropriate data format (JSON, XML, etc.) to ensure proper communication between the API and its consumers. Write clear API documentation: Create comprehensive documentation with an API reference, guides, tutorials, and code examples to help users understand and implement the API effectively. Incorporate code examples: Add concise and functional code examples in popular programming languages to make the API contract more accessible and user-friendly. Test and validate the API contract: Employ tools like Postman, SoapUI, or Insomnia to test the API's performance and functionality. Use continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) practices to maintain high-quality standards and seamless…

What is an API Contract & Why You Need One with Code Examples

An API contract is a formal agreement between the provider and consumer of an API. It outlines each party's expectations and responsibilities and specifies the rules and requirements for using the API. The rules include the format and structure of requests and responses, the supported methods and parameters, error handling, and other technical details. Learn what an API Contract is and why you need one. We will also discuss the types of API contracts, design, and OpenAPI/Swagger contracts. Let’s begin! Article Highlights An API contract is a document that defines the rules and requirements for interacting with an API. Contract-first API development means designing and developing an API by creating a contract or specification before writing any code. OpenAPI/Swagger is a widely used API contract that allows you to define and document RESTful APIs. API contract design involves creating a clear and comprehensive contract. And it defines the API's endpoints,…

Fetch Data from API: 3 PHP Options with Code Examples in 2023

How to Fetch Data from a REST API with PHP There are three options to fetch data from a REST API with PHP. The Guzzle composer package is the recommended approach. The PHP cURL library and file_get_contents function are also options available as well. Example code to Fetch Data from a REST API in PHP <?php require_once 'vendor/autoload.php'; use GuzzleHttp\Client; use GuzzleHttp\Psr7\Request; $client = new Client(); // We prepare the Request. $request = new Request('GET', 'https://www.example.com'); // Sends a Request $response = $client->send($request); // Read the Response. $response_body = (string)$response->getBody(); var_dump($response_body); ?> Options to Get Data From API in PHP Comparison Table Featurefile_get_contentscURLGuzzle (Composer Package)Ease of UseSimple and concise.Requires more codeWell-documented and user-friendly.HTTP MethodsSupports GET and POST.Supports various methods (GET, POST, PUT, etc.)Supports various methods (GET, POST, PUT, etc.)Request HeadersLimited control over headers.Full control over headers.Full control over headers.Response HandlingProvides the response as a string.Requires manual parsing.Provides a more structured…

What is MailGun Used For? A 2023 Guide to the Email Service

What is MailGun Used for? We use MailGun as a transactional service to send emails through our APIS, web applications, and scripts. You can use it to send emails in bulk or on-demand. It is recommended to use a service like Mailgun vs your web service for sending emails as it has IPs that has built trust in email clients. It also has full-featured APIs. In this article, we will review the Mailgun email service. We will discuss what Mailgun is, its pricing plan, features, benefits, pros, and cons. We will also learn how to send bulk emails using Mailgun API in PHP. In this article, we will cover the following topics. Table of Contents What is Mailgun? Mailgun pricing plans. Features of Mailgun. Benefits of Mailgun. Pros and Cons of Mailgun. Alternatives to Mailgun. Send Bulk Emails Using the Mailgun’s API in PHP. What is Mailgun? Mailgun is an…

In this article, we will learn what an email marketing API is, how to use them, and some benefits. We'll share our top recommendations and give examples of to email marketing apis. Email remains one of the most effective and direct forms of communication for businesses to interact with customers. Using an email marketing REST API is critical when sending emails to your customers. There are plenty of email marketing service providers like Sendinblue, SendGrid, Mailgun, etc., through which you can send bulk emails to large groups of contacts without worrying about email deliverability issues. Email Marketing API: What is it + 2023 Tutorial & Examples In this article, we will cover the following topics of email marketing apis Popular Examples of Email Marketing APIs What is an Email Marketing API? What can an Email API do? The Key Benefits of Email APIs Why should you use API in Email Marketing?…

Send Email using Mailgun in PHP Code Example We recommend using the Mailgun PHP SDK to send emails in PHP. You can quickly install it through composer. Once you include Mailgun in your file, you can create a new Mailgun instance and pass the sendMessage to send a new email. Require the composer mailgun/mailgun-php package. Include the composer autoload file in your application Create a new Mailgun instance inside of your file. Pass in your mailgun api key into the constructor for Mailgun. Set up your email content. Use the Mailgun sendMessage function to send the email. # First, instantiate the SDK with your API credentials and define your domain. $mgClient = new Mailgun("key-example"); $domain = "example.com"; # Now, compose and send your message. $mgClient->sendMessage($domain, array('from' => 'Sender <sender@gmail.com>', 'to' => 'Receiver <receiver.com>', 'subject' => 'The Printer Caught Fire', 'text' => 'We have a problem.')); In this PHP article, we…

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