View source for Fishbowl Enterprise API

'''What is an API?'''

An API (Application Programming Interface) is the way in which a software application allows other software applications to interact with it.  The Fishbowl Enterprise API is a web service, which is an API that allows two applications to communicate over the Internet using standard web protocols such as HTTP.


'''What can the Fishbowl Enterprise API do for me?'''

The API allows you to create, retrieve, update, and delete many different types of data within the Fishbowl system (see the [[Entities]] section for details).  Many of the tasks that can be accomplished manually through the Enterprise web user interface can also be accomplished programmatically through the API:  importing and exporting Member data; creating and deploying Mailings; managing Campaigns and Lists; tracking opens, clicks, and bounces; tagging Members to target in subsequent mailings; even aggregating statistical data to produce reports.  


You can call the API in response to a real-time event, such as a Member submitting a form hosted on your website, or as part of a scheduled "batch" job, such as retrieving a list of all the hard bounces generated in the past 24 hours.


'''Do I need to write code to use the API?'''

Yes.  You'll need to write code that suits your unique business requirements, and you'll need to host that code on your website or on other servers under your control.  Third-party software development and/or hosting providers can assist you with writing and hosting your code, but Fishbowl will not write or host your code for you.


'''In technical terms, what is the API?'''

The Fishbowl Enterprise API is a RESTful web service that supports the OData Version 3.0 data protocol and the OAuth 2.0 security protocol.


'''Which programming languages can I use?'''

RESTful web services use standard HTTP methods, so almost any modern development platform can successfully target the Fishbowl Enterprise API.  Platforms such as .NET and Java for which OData client libraries are available are ideal, because those libraries simplify the development process considerably.