TL;DR

Rest API is the most popular architectural style and because of a variety of reasons, you might need to import data from Rest API to Google sheets. Superjoin’s REST API Connector makes this easy by allowing you to connect to any API and automate live data imports on a daily, hourly, or weekly schedule (saving a lot of dev time).

For the past 20 years, Rest API has remained one of the most popular architectural styles, and is still broadly popular today because of its simplicity, scalability, flexibility and performance. Rest is based on standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), which are simple to understand and use. Developers who are already familiar with HTTP, can start using restful APIs right away.

But sales, marketing, growth and revenue teams have a slightly different use case than making rest api calls from one system to another: they operate out of spreadsheets.

They love the flexibility of Google Sheets and want to bring Rest API data to google sheets. They need a way to quickly and easily connect Rest API to Google Sheets. Otherwise they’ll spend hours manually exporting data or, more likely, go without the critical data they need.      

In this guide, we will discuss more on Rest API, API connectors and how to use Supejoin to pull data from any REST API to Google sheets. 

Table of Content

1. What is a REST API?
2. What is the REST API Connector?
3. Expectation for REST API Connectors on Google Sheets
4. Superjoin’s Rest API Connector
5. Real life use case for API connector
6. Step by step guide on connecting any API with Superjoin API connector?
7. FAQs for Rest API Connector for Google sheets
8. Key takeaway

What is a REST API?

REST, or Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface, is an architectural style that allows different software applications to communicate with each other over the web using standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. It is stateless, with each client request to the server including all necessary information to complete the request. REST APIs are generally utilised in interacting with web services for purposes of retrieving or sending data across different systems.

What is the REST API Connector?

A REST API connector can be defined as a utility/feature that facilitates connection to and interaction with REST APIs without writing code. It serves as an intermediary between applications that are easily able to pull or push data from one platform to another. REST API Connector, in relation to Google Sheets, helps you import data into your spreadsheet from multiple external platforms automatically, meaning the data is always up to date.

Expectation for REST API Connectors on Google Sheets

REST API Connectors in Google Sheets can be applied in several ways but it should solve for 4 core features :

– Live Data Access: One should be able to import live data from integrations such as Stripe, Shopify, or HubSpot directly into Google Sheets to ensure access to the latest data for decision-making.
– Consolidate Data: Since different data is present on different systems, an api connector should be able to bring together data from a variety of sources in one spreadsheet for easier analysis and side-by-side comparison of data across platforms.

– AutoMagic - Make it automatic : One core feature of api connector should be to schedule regular imports and ability to auto-refresh so that your spreadsheets will be updated automatically with zero fuss, helping you boost efficiency.

– Data Cleaning: Using preview features to ensure the data that is going to be imported is clean and accurate as teams like RevOps, Growth and marketing team can really rely on it.

Superjoin’s Rest API connector

Superjoin rest api connector helps you achieve all the above points. Additionally, it is both very user-friendly and powerful; therefore, users can pull live data right into Google Sheets from various tools with ease. Supporting over 25,000 users operating for more than 400 companies worldwide, Superjoin can be seamlessly integrated with major platforms such as Stripe, Shopify, and HubSpot. The connector lets you automatically import your data and schedule refreshes automatically. This way, you will never need to update your spreadsheets. The preview also ensures clean and correct import of data.

Real life use cases for API connector

Real life use cases for Rest API Connector on Google Sheets includes Sales Tracking, Marketing Analysis, building Customer Support Dashboard, doing Inventory Management, doing Financial Reporting, making Project Management easy, creating HR Dashboard and much more.

Key Benefits

Once you set the schedules, teams can use their time more into the analysis rather than manage the data by automating the import and refresh of data. By implementing the integration, you can smoothen your operations, ensure data integrity, and facilitate high efficiency.

Step by step guide on connecting any API with Superjoin API connector?

Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to connect rest api to Google Sheets.

Step 1: Click Extensions from the Google Sheets menu. Select Add-ons and choose to Get Add-ons. This will bring you to the Google Workspace Marketplace.

Step 2: Look for Superjoin API Connector in the Google Marketplace pop-up window and install the app by following the prompts.

Step 3: Navigate back to the Extensions menu tab and launch Superjoin from there. You should see Superjoin running as a Google Sheets side panel on the right side of your screen. 

Step 4: From Sources, select Custom API from the list.

Step 5: Choose Authorization Type

• No Auth: Use if the API does not require any authentication.

  
  

• Basic: Enter a username and password if the API requires these for access.

  
  

• Bearer Token: Input a token if the API uses token-based authentication.

  
  

• OAuth2.0: Follow OAuth2.0 setup if the API uses this authentication method.

  
  

Step 6: Select Request Method

• GET: Use to retrieve data from the API.

• POST: Use to send data to the API.

and Input the endpoint URL of the API you are connecting to.

Step 7: Configure Request Details and Connect

• Add Headers (Optional): If the API requires headers, add them as key-value pairs (e.g., Content-Type: application/json).

  
  

• Enter Request Body (Optional): Provide the request body in JSON format or as key-value pairs if needed, typically for POST requests.

  
  

• Connect: Click 'Connect' to establish the connection and preview the data fetched from the API.

  
  

Step 8: After authorization, you'll see a list of objects in the Data Preview Window.

Step 9: Setup Pagination (Optional)

Pagination is crucial for managing large datasets by breaking them into smaller segments, ensuring efficient data handling, and preventing system overload, here’s how to set it up:

• Offset should be set through: Determine where the offset value should be placed in your API request (query parameters, headers, or body).

  
  

• Offset should be set as the property name: Specify the exact name of the field that the API expects for the offset value (e.g., offset, start, skip).

  
  

• No. of records per page: Define the number of records to fetch on each page.

  
  

• Append offset in first API request as well: Decide whether to include the offset in the first request (default is false).

For detailed information on setting up pagination features, please refer to Superjoin's Documentation.

Step 10: After pulling your data Superjoin lets you refresh your imported data instantly with one click or set it to auto-refresh on a pre-set schedule.

This way, you won't need to manually update your data in Google Sheets to reflect changes from the source.

This shall help you connect to your favorite API in under 10 minutes. If you face any issues, have any suggestions, or need any help, feel free to reach us at support@superjoin.ai.

Key Takeaway

Superjoin’s REST API Connector for Google Sheets simplifies the process of importing live data from any API, making it easy for teams to automate data updates and focus on analysis rather than manual data management.