SmartSense API: Getting Started
Introduction
Welcome to the SmartSense Developer Portal! SmartSense is a remote sensor monitoring system that provides solutions to help companies with quality control, employee productivity, asset protection, and compliance. The Developer Portal is where you will find information about the APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that we offer as well as how to use them.
A developer portal is a centralized repository that is primarily used by developers, but this platform also provides information that is useful to other teams such as Customer Success or Project Managers.
Table of Contents
This API should be used responsibly and should follow the best practices and guidelines set by SmartSense.
Responsible Use:
- Adhering to Rate Limits: Making API calls within the allowed frequency, ensuring you're not overloading the system. For instance, if the device reports data every 15 minutes, you should not poll for data more frequently than that.
- Efficient Use of Resources: Minimizing the number of calls by fetching data as needed and caching information where appropriate, rather than making redundant requests.
- Handling Data with Care: Using the data obtained from the API in a way that respects privacy and follows data protection regulations.
Irresponsible Use:
- Excessive Polling: Making API requests more frequently than the data refresh rate, which can overload the servers, degrade service for others, and potentially lead to your account being throttled or disabled.
- Ignoring Deprecated APIs: Continuing to use outdated API endpoints or features that have been marked as deprecated can lead to instability and security vulnerabilities.
- Data Abuse: Using the data for purposes outside the scope of what it was intended especially if it violates user privacy or company policies.
By adhering to SmartSense's guidelines, developers ensure that the API remains stable and efficient for everyone.
SmartSense reserves the right to disable or throttle accounts deemed to be misusing this API. It is acceptable to poll for new information, but please do not request data at a more frequent interval than your devices are reporting to SmartSense.
SmartSense reserves the right to return additional fields in responses.
Restrictions & Limitations
You may encounter restrictions or limitations, which may include one or more of the following:
Rate Limiting
Impact: Users may be temporarily blocked from making further API calls if they exceed the number of requests allowed within a timeframe
Avoidance: Implement back-off strategies and adhere to the X-RateLimit headers, if provided, to manage the frequency of requests.
Quotas on Resource Usage
Impact: There may be a cap on the number of concurrent API calls, total calls per day, or the amount of data that can be transferred.
Avoidance: Optimize API usage by batching requests and retrieving only the necessary data to stay within the set quotas.
Data Retention Policies
Impact: Data might only be available through the API for a limited period after it is archived or deleted.
Avoidance: Ensure timely data retrieval and local storage if long-term access is needed.
API Versioning
Impact: Users may need to migrate to newer versions of the API as older versions become deprecated.
Avoidance: Regularly check for and migrate to the latest API versions to ensure compatibility and access to the latest features.
Dependence on Device Reporting Frequency
Impact: The frequency of data updates is contingent on the device's reporting interval, which can affect the timeliness of the data retrieved.
Avoidance: Align polling strategies with the known device reporting intervals to ensure data is as fresh as possible without over-polling.