How to Connect to Any REST API with No-Code

REST APIs are supposed to be easy to build and use – so why can they feel so complicated to figure out?

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to APIs: different authentication methods, error handling, security, and all the coding traditionally involved.

If you’ve ever felt intimidated by APIs and how to connect to your favourite apps, we’ve got you covered. APIs can make you more efficient, open up opportunities for automation, provide new data access, and make your enterprise more agile.

With FME, you get all the perks of APIs without any of the coding headaches. It’s an extremely customizable solution. Join our webinar and learn how to get started with FME – it’s easier than you think!

1. How to Connect to
Any REST API
with No-Code

2. Tandra
Geraedts

FME Flow Technical
Support Specialist



Bailey
Knapp

FME Flow Technical
Support Specialist


Evie
Lapalme

FME Form Technical
Support Specialist

Meet the Team

3. Welcome to Livestorm.
A few ways to engage with us during the webinar:


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5. Agenda
1What is a REST API?
2Using APIs in FME
3Authentication in APIs
4 OpenAPICaller
4FME Flow REST API
5Q&A and Wrap Up

6. Poll: How familiar are you
with working with APIs?

7. 1
Introduction to
APIs and FME

8. What is an API?
Application Programming Interface


Client
(FME)
Server
(Application)
API
sends requests to the
application & sends back
information to the client
once completed

9. Why Use APIs?
Users often want to access APIs so that
they can:
●Automate manual processes
●Fetch the most up to date data
●Send data to the web
●Integrate applications
●Connect systems

10. Important API Terminology
●REST - common type of API, with uniform structure, uses a URL to call a resource
●HTTP Method - determines the action you are using. (sometimes called verb)
●Request Headers - gives context to the call. What data type is being sent?
●Request Body - specifies the information to be modified, created, or deleted
●Request URL - URL address that allows access to the API and all it’s features
●Query String - provides attributes to query the call & is included at the end of the
Request URL.
●OpenAPI Specification - a standardized document of what endpoints are available
and what variables the API expects to receive.

11. Example API
Documentation
API documentation should tell you
everything you need to know!


HTTP Method

Request URL

Request Headers

Request Body

12. Automatically send
data to a
web service.


Integrate multiple
datasets from
multiple services.


Create reports using
the most up to date
data possible.


Benefits of REST APIs

13. Accessing APIs with No Code


●How can you access an Application Programming Interface without programming?
●Third party tools!
●Third party tools can allow users to access APIs without needing to write any code.

14. One platform, two technologies
FME Form FME Flow
Data Movement and transformations
(“ETL”) workflows are built here.
Brings life to FME Form workflows
FME Flow Hosted
Safe Software managed FME Flow
fme.safe.com/platform
FME Enterprise Integration Platform
Safe & FME

15. Number of supported data types in FME
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2023…
10 100 300 500
GIS
CAD
Database
XML
Raster
3D
BIM
Web
Point
Cloud
Cloud
Big
Data
IOT
Gaming
BI
Indoor
Mapping
AR/VR
Generative
AI
Cloud
Native
Tabular
Unrivalled Data Support

16. Built in options

17. Powerful API Transformers
Typically most workflows in FME
begin with a Reader that
initiates the workflow.

However, since most APIs use
the HTTPCaller as the Reader.
The Creator is used to kick off
the workflow.
The HTTPCaller is where the
call to the REST API is
handled.
Most REST APIs return
JSON. JSON can be parsed
in the JSON fragmenter.

18. Automating API Driven Workflows
What if these workflows need to be run frequently?
Avoid manual effort and automate them!
●Schedule jobs that need to run frequently
●Run in response to events in real time
●Create apps to run jobs on-demand

19. Slide Title
Automatically
receive up to date
traffic data tailored
to my commute



Goal Block Key
Traffic Data Demo


Result
Get a lot of
unnecessary
information when
manually looking it
up online & time
consuming



Use FME to get the
data directly from
the Drive BC API
and automate it on
a schedule

Use FME to receive
a custom HTML
report with data for
my commute route
at a set time each
day

20. Demo

21. 2
Authentication
in APIs

22. Why does API Authentication matter?
Authentication
Verifies the users identity
before making a request
Authorization
Verifies the user has
privilege to access the API
and are allowed to make
the request
Protects
API’s data,
resources,
and
functionality

23. Authentication with FME
Basic
Sends plain text credentials
Digest
Sends encrypted credentials
NTLM
Microsoft protocol, like Digest but more
secure
Web Tokens
Sends a unique identifier for a user
OAuth
Grants access without sharing credentials
Single Sign-On
NTLM authentication with Windows user
account
API Keys
Sends a unique identifier for an app
Web Connections
Authenticated web service

24. Authentication with FME
Basic
Sends plain text credentials
Digest
Sends encrypted credentials
NTLM
Microsoft protocol, like Digest but more
secure
Web Tokens
Sends a unique identifier for a user
OAuth
Grants access without sharing credentials
Single Sign-On
NTML authentication with Windows user
account
API Keys
Sends a unique identifier for an app
Web Connections
Authenticated web service

25. Authentication with FME
Basic
Sends plain text credentials
Digest
Sends encrypted credentials
NTLM
Microsoft protocol, like Digest but more
secure
Web Tokens
Sends a unique identifier for a user
OAuth
Grants access without sharing credentials
Single Sign-On
NTML authentication with Windows user
account
API Keys
Sends a unique identifier for an app
Web Connections
Authenticated web service

26. Authentication with FME
Basic
Sends plain text credentials
Digest
Sends encrypted credentials
NTLM
Microsoft protocol, like Digest but more
secure
Web Tokens
Sends a unique identifier for a user
OAuth
Grants access without sharing credentials
Single Sign-On
NTLM authentication with Windows user
account
API Keys
Sends a unique identifier for an app
Web Connections
Authenticated web service

27. Authentication with FME
Basic
Sends plain text credentials
Digest
Sends encrypted credentials
NTLM
Microsoft protocol, like Digest but more
secure
Web Tokens
Sends a unique identifier for a user
OAuth
Grants access without sharing credentials
Single Sign-On
NTLM authentication with Windows user
account
API Keys
Sends a unique identifier for an app
Web Connections
Authenticated web service

28. Web Connections
●Safe, convenient storage for connection parameters
●Secure, named containers for workflows
●Compatible with all supported authentication
protocols
OAuth 2.0 Authentication and Web Services
●Register with Web Services from FME Form:
○Google Suite, Sharepoint, Dropbox, Slack, etc.
○Custom connections
Creating an OAuth 2.0 Web Service and Connection in FME

29. Setting up the
HTTPCaller to use
Authentication
1.Select “Use Authentication”
2.Choose your Authentication Type
3.Enter your Authentication parameters
or select your Web Connection
4.Start making API Calls

30. Always check the API documentation!

What Authentication Type does this API use?

31. Slide Title
Use the Movebank
database to request
and display Bald
Eagle migratory
patterns

Goal Block Key
Movebank API Authorization


Result
How do you connect
and authenticate to
the Movebank API?
How can I format and
stream the data
back?



Use the HTTPCaller
Transformer to
connect to the API.
Use transformers to
parse and display
the response.


A workspace that
can connect to the
Movebank database
on demand, to
stream back Bald
Eagle migratory
area.

32. Demo

33. 3
OpenAPICaller
in FME

34. OpenAPICaller
●Available in FME Form 2024.1
●Allows you to access an API endpoint by importing an OpenAPI spec
●Takes in OpenAPI specification through a JSON or YAML file
●Benefit is to auto-populate:
○Full Request URL,
○Authentication Method,
○Query String Parameters,
○Headers.
●Can also parse the JSON response for you (without extra transformers)!

35. Slide Title
Configure and
access any API
endpoint through
FME

Goal Block Key
In this demo....


Result
Documentation for
endpoint
configuration can be
confusing.


Use the
OpenAPICaller
Transformer to
connect to the API &
parse the response.


A workspace that
can connect to the
endpoint selected
with simple
configuration.

36. Demo

37. 4
FME Flow
REST API

38. FME Flow REST API
●This allows users to interact with FME
Flow programmatically without using the
FME Flow interface
○Cancel jobs
○Download individual log files
○Submit jobs asynchronously
○Create and update schedules
●Get FME Flow job statistics and create
monitoring dashboards

39. You can try it out
yourself
●FME Flow’s REST API allows users to
test API calls in the documentation
●Request a token using your credentials to
try different API calls and see headers
and responses

40. Job Monitoring
Use Cases
●Get statistics per workspace, schedule or
automation and create dashboards
○Total runs
○Average CPU Time
○Average CPU Percent
○Average Peak Memory Usage
●Monitor activity on Dynamic Engines
●Managing Schedules and Queue Control

41. Slide Title
Use the FME Flow
REST API to get job
statistics and display
the information in a
readable way
Goal Block Key
Job Statistics with FME Flow REST API


Result
Unknowns:
How do you connect
to the FME Flow
REST API and
authenticate?




Use the HTTPCaller
Transformer to
connect to the API.
Use transformers to
parse and display
the response. And a
web connection


A workspace that
can connect to the
API and be used to
customize HTML
reports to show job
statistics from your
FME Flow

42. Demo

43. 5
Conclusion

44. Make your
enterprise more
agile & automated
with APIs!

45. Summary
●Connect to any API using the
HTTPCaller Transformer
●Import API specifications and parse
responses using the OpenAPI
transformer
●Leverage FME’s REST API to create
job statistics reports

46. 29+
27K+
128
190
20K+
years of solving data
challenges
FME Community
members
countries with
FME customers
organizations worldwide
global partners with
FME services
30+
29K+
128
140+
25K+
years of solving data
challenges
FME Community
members
countries with
FME customers
organizations worldwide
global partners with
FME services
200K+
users worldwide
Safe & FME

47. 6
Resources

48. Resources
●Getting Started with REST APIs
●Getting Started with API Pagination
●FME Flow REST API Training
●FME Hub

●Creating Web Connections
●The Ultimate Guide to APIs

●Using the FME Flow
REST API to Create Job
History Reports

●Creating Web Connectizons
in FME Using OAuth 2.0
Authentication

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52. 7
Next Steps

53. We’d love to help you get
started.
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