SDLC and its Integration with APIs
Tags: webdev, tutorial, api, softwaredevelopment
Published: 2023-12-08 18:51:53

##  Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and its Integration with APIs


### 1. Planning stage:

During the planning phase, project requirements are gathered and the overall scope of the project is defined. APIs play an important role in understanding the capabilities of external services that can be used to achieve specific project goals. API documentation, such as OpenAPI or Swagger, provides details about endpoints, request/response formats, and authentication methods.

**Example:**

Let's say you're building an e-commerce platform and plan to integrate a payment gateway API. During the planning phase, you will study the API documentation to understand how to initiate operations, handle responses, and handle errors.

```Python
# Example payment gateway API request
import requests

url = "https://payment-api.com/transaction"
upload = {
    "Amount": 100.0,
    "currency": "USD",
    "payment_method": "credit_card",
    "Number_of_cards": "1234567812345678",
    "expire_date": "12/25",
    "cvv": "123"
}

response = requests.post(url, json = upload);
print(response.json())
```

### 2. Feasibility Study:

During the feasibility study, technical aspects are evaluated to ensure that the proposed software solution is feasible. APIs contribute by providing insight into the compatibility of existing systems with new software. The developer evaluates whether the API meets the technical requirements of the project.

**Example:**

Let's consider integrating the geolocation API. In the feasibility study, you can check whether the API supports the required features or whether your software meets the needs of the deployment.

```Python
# Geolocation API request
import requests

url = "https://geolocation-api.com/location"
params = {"ip": "8.8.8.8"}

response = requests.get(url, params = params)
print(response.json())
```

### 3. Design Phase:

In the design phase, the software architecture is created and the API plays an important role in defining the interfaces between different modules. Developers design API endpoints that facilitate communication between different components.

**Example:**

Let's say you're designing a learning management system and creating an API to manage product data.

```Python
# Product Management API example
Flask from import from bottle, please

application = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/products', method = ['POST'])
def create_product():
    product_data = request.json
    Code to create a new product in the database
    return { 'message': 'Profile created successfully'}, 201

# Another API endpoint to update, modify and retrieve products
```

### 4. Implementation phase (coding):

In the coding phase, developers write the actual code, integrating APIs for communication between different parts of the system. API calls are made to access external functions or services.

**Example:**

Let's say you're authenticating users using a third-party OAuth2 API.

```Python
# An example of authentication using the OAuth2 Claims library
import requests

def authenticate_user(username, password):
    auth_url = "https://auth-provider.com/token"
    data = {
        "grant_type": "password",
        "username": username,
        "password": password,
        "client_id": "your_client_id",
        "client_hidden": "your_client_hidden"
    }

    response = requests.post(auth_url, data = data);
    access_token = response.json(). get ( 'access_token' )
    access_token
```

### 5. Test Stage:

In the testing phase, the API is thoroughly tested, including unit testing for individual API endpoints, integration testing for communication between different modules, and performance testing.

**Example:**

Let's say you're writing unit tests for a pre-built product management API.

```Python
# Example unit tests for the Product Management API
import unittest
_app from your imported app

class TestProductAPI(unittest.TestCase):

    def test_create_product(self):
        tester = app.test_client(self);
        response = tester.post('/products', json = {"name": "Test Product", "price": 19.99 })
        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 201)

```

### 6. Deployment phase:

During deployment, API is important to provide standard communication between different software applications. CI/CD pipelines often use APIs to automate the deployment process.

**Example:**

I'm assuming you're using a CI/CD tool like Jenkins, and it pushes the deployment using the deployment API.

```head
# Trigger deployment using curl
curl -X POST https://deployment-api.com/deploy -H "Authorization: bearer YOUR_API_KEY" -d '{"project": "your_project", "version": "1.0.0"}'
```

### 7. Maintenance and Support:

APIs are monitored for correct functionality even after deployment. If an update is needed, the API is used to make changes without breaking the entire system.

```Python
# Example Update Payment Gateway API Integration
import requests

url = "https://payment-api.com/update"
payload = {"new_payment_method": "wallet"}

response = requests.patch(url, json=payload)
print(response.json())

```