There are some functions that a programming language simply can't cater to and will require an external service to help you accomplish those functions. These external services are usually accessible via an API (Application Programming Interface), which acts as an easy way to securely execute remote functions provided by a 3rd party.
Over the years we have found ourselves implementing the same APIs over and over for numerous projects. For example, we use GeoLocation on just about every website we build. It’s the only way that we can do market research on traffic as it provides us with detailed information on any IP address. Furthermore, we’ve also started using SMSs for advanced password recovery, “one-time pins”, notifications, etc.
The problem is that we would need to get the client to sign up at two vendors if they wanted to do GeoLocation lookups and send SMSs. This means implementing two different APIs, each with their own unique way of being implemented and even worse, it would require separate billing from these 3rd parties. Two services = two invoices at the end of the month and this boils down to having two possible points of failure when you could only have one.
Then when a project has been completed, and another client comes along, we have to waste time (and client funds) implementing those exact same features again. Wouldn’t it be easier if only one API could be implemented? If all the billing happened under that one API? And better yet, wouldn’t it be great to know that the API is constantly expanding in features and that I can actually request specific APIs added to this? Ladies and gentlemen... introducing CompleteAPI.
CompleteAPI currently supports the following:
- SMS API - Send SMSs to single or multiple recipients.
- Whois API - Get “whois” information on any domain name
- Currency API - Get the exchange rate of popular currencies
- GeoLocation API - Find out the exact location and other detailed information on any IP Address
Here are some examples of how we and our clients are using these services:
- Password recovery via SMS
- Bulk SMS marketing campaigns
- Website redirection based on the user's IP (e.g. redirect the user to /na if they are from Namibia, or /za if they are from South Africa)
- See if a domain name has been registered and by who
- Display a currency conversion table in real-time
- Provide multi-currency pricing on a website
As you can see, APIs are needed for a wide range of day-to-day functions of any modern website.
The other problem with existing APIs is that we couldn’t ever find one that provided all the features we needed. For example, we wanted a solution that actually stores and keeps the history of the “whois” queries we have done in the past. Of course, this can also be tracked from our side, but we prefer a solution whereby we can actually do a recon to see if our lookups match what we are being billed for. This is now possible with CompleteAPI.
Other problems like clients forgetting to top up their accounts are also something of the past. CompleteAPI automatically sends notifications when your credit gets low and you can top up all your APIs in one single place. No need to jump between multiple vendors.
CompleteAPI is an ever-expanding set of useful tools. If you want any specific API added, we urge you to contact us and make a suggestion. But before you do, look at what is currently in the pipeline:
- Weather API - Get detailed weather information
- Screenshots API - Get screenshots of any website
- Security Scanner API - Run a range of security checks against any website
- Email Forwarder API - Easily set up email forwarders
- Core API - A variety of “core” functions, which will include timestamp, timezone, unit conversion, and much more
There is a lot to look forward to and we hope you find CompleteAPI to be as useful as we have! But don’t take our word for it, you can try it out for FREE today! New users of CompleteAPI are automatically given:
- 1000 Geolocation Credits
- 10 Whois Credits
- N$5.00/R5.00 SMS Credit
Want to get started? Sign up here. (If you are a Namhost client, you can use your Namhost login details to log in here)