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Product Exporter
Product Importer
Product EI

API Endpoint as Import Source

Import products directly from external REST APIs

The API Endpoint feature allows you to import product data directly from external REST APIs without downloading files. Perfect for integrating with WMS, ERP systems, suppliers, marketplaces, and any REST API with product data.

Overview

Key Features

✓
HTTP Methods: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH
✓
Authentication: None, Basic Auth, Bearer Token, API Key
✓
Custom Headers: JSON format HTTP headers
✓
Request Body: Send data for POST/PUT/PATCH
✓
Auto-detect Format: JSON, XML, CSV
✓
Validation: URL, status codes, empty responses
✓
Security: SSL verification, 60s timeout

How to Use

Step 1: Select Source

  1. Go to New Import
  2. In "Select Source" section, click the "API Endpoint" tile
  3. API configuration form will open

Step 2: Configure API Request

Basic Parameters

HTTP Method:

  • GET - Retrieve data (default)
  • POST - Send data with request body
  • PUT - Update data
  • PATCH - Partial update

API Endpoint URL:

https://api.example.com/products

Authentication

None

No authentication required. Used for public APIs.

Basic Auth

Username and password authentication.

Authorization: Basic base64(username:password)

Bearer Token

Token-based authentication (JWT, OAuth).

Authorization: Bearer your_api_token_here

API Key

API key in custom header.

X-API-Key: your_api_key_here

Custom Headers (Optional)

Format: JSON

{
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
  "Accept": "application/json",
  "X-Custom-Header": "custom-value"
}

Request Body (for POST/PUT/PATCH)

Format: JSON

{
  "limit": 100,
  "page": 1,
  "category": "electronics"
}

Step 3: Fetch Data

  1. Click "Fetch & Continue" button
  2. Plugin sends request to API
  3. Response is saved as file
  4. Data preview opens automatically
  5. Proceed to field mapping

Usage Examples

Example 1: Simple GET Request (No Auth)

Configuration:

  • Method: GET
  • URL: https://api.example.com/products
  • Auth: None

Expected API Response:

[
  {
    "sku": "PROD-001",
    "name": "Product 1",
    "price": 29.99,
    "stock": 100
  },
  {
    "sku": "PROD-002",
    "name": "Product 2",
    "price": 39.99,
    "stock": 50
  }
]

Example 2: GET with Bearer Token

Configuration:

  • Method: GET
  • URL: https://api.supplier.com/v1/products
  • Auth: Bearer Token
  • Token: eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...

Custom Headers:

{
  "Accept": "application/json"
}

Example 3: POST Request with Parameters

Configuration:

  • Method: POST
  • URL: https://api.warehouse.com/export
  • Auth: API Key
  • API Key: sk_live_abc123xyz789

Request Body:

{
  "format": "json",
  "filters": {
    "category": "electronics",
    "in_stock": true
  },
  "limit": 500
}

Custom Headers:

{
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
  "Accept": "application/json"
}

Example 4: Basic Auth with XML Response

Configuration:

  • Method: GET
  • URL: https://erp.company.com/api/products.xml
  • Auth: Basic Auth
  • Username: api_user
  • Password: ••••••••

Expected API Response:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<products>
  <product>
    <sku>PROD-001</sku>
    <name>Product 1</name>
    <price>29.99</price>
  </product>
</products>

API Requirements

Response Format

API must return data in one of the following formats:

JSON (recommended)

[
  {"sku": "001", "name": "Product 1", "price": 29.99},
  {"sku": "002", "name": "Product 2", "price": 39.99}
]

JSON with nesting

{
  "data": {
    "products": [
      {"sku": "001", "name": "Product 1"}
    ]
  }
}

XML

<products>
  <product>
    <sku>001</sku>
    <name>Product 1</name>
  </product>
</products>

CSV

SKU,Name,Price
001,Product 1,29.99
002,Product 2,39.99

HTTP Status Codes

Status Code Meaning
200-299 Successful response
400-499 Client error (invalid parameters)
500-599 Server error

Recommended Headers

Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 12345

Technical Details

Backend Endpoint

URL: POST /wp-json/pifwc/v1/fetch-api

Parameters:

{
  "url": "https://api.example.com/products",
  "method": "GET",
  "auth_type": "bearer",
  "auth_key": "your_token",
  "headers": "{\"Accept\":\"application/json\"}",
  "body": "{\"limit\":100}"
}

Response:

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "file_id": "abc123-xyz789",
    "original_name": "api_response_1704801234.json",
    "format": "json",
    "message": "API data fetched successfully."
  },
  "errors": []
}

Processing Flow

  1. 1. URL Validation - Check URL correctness
  2. 2. Parse Headers - Decode JSON headers
  3. 3. Add Authentication - Form Authorization header
  4. 4. HTTP Request - wp_remote_request() with 60s timeout
  5. 5. Status Check - Validate HTTP status code (200-299)
  6. 6. Format Detection - By Content-Type or content
  7. 7. Save File - FileStorage::store_api_response()
  8. 8. Return file_id - For further processing

Auto-detect Format

By Content-Type header:

  • application/json → JSON
  • application/xml or text/xml → XML
  • text/csv → CSV

By content (if Content-Type not defined):

  • Starts with { or [ → JSON
  • Starts with < → XML
  • Default → JSON

Security

  • ✓ SSL verification enabled (sslverify: true)
  • ✓ Timeout 60 seconds (protection from hanging)
  • ✓ File size check (max 100MB)
  • ✓ URL validation (only http/https)
  • ✓ Sanitization of all parameters
  • ✓ WordPress nonce verification
  • ✓ Capability check (manage_woocommerce)

Troubleshooting

Error: "API URL is required"

Cause: API URL not specified

Solution: Fill in the "API Endpoint URL" field

Error: "Invalid API URL provided"

Cause: URL does not pass validation

Solution:

  • Check URL format: https://api.example.com/products
  • URL must start with http:// or https://
  • Do not use spaces or special characters

Error: "API returned error status code: 401"

Cause: Invalid authentication

Solution:

  • Verify authentication type
  • Check token/key/password correctness
  • Ensure token has not expired

Error: "API returned error status code: 404"

Cause: Invalid endpoint URL

Solution:

  • Check URL correctness
  • Ensure endpoint exists
  • Review API documentation

Error: "API returned empty response"

Cause: API returned no data

Solution:

  • Check request parameters
  • Verify API has available data
  • Review filters in Request Body

Error: "API request failed: SSL certificate problem"

Cause: SSL certificate issue

Solution:

  • Ensure API uses valid SSL certificate
  • Check that certificate has not expired
  • For testing, temporarily disable SSL verification (not recommended for production)

Error: "Failed to connect to API"

Cause: Network error or timeout

Solution:

  • Check API availability (ping, curl)
  • Ensure WordPress server can connect to external APIs
  • Check firewall settings
  • Increase timeout (default 60 sec)

Best Practices

  • 1.
    Use pagination

    If API returns large amounts of data, use pagination to avoid timeouts:

    {
  "page": 1,
  "limit": 100
}
  • 2.
    Cache tokens

    Do not request new token for each import. Save token and reuse it.

  • 3.
    Handle rate limits

    Many APIs have request limits. Check API documentation.

  • 4.
    Use filters

    Request only necessary data:

    {
  "filters": {
    "updated_since": "2026-01-01",
    "category": "electronics"
  }
}
  • 5.
    Test with small datasets

    First request small amount of data to verify configuration:

    {
  "limit": 10
}
  • 6.
    Log errors

    When errors occur, save: request URL, parameters, API response, request time.

  • 7.
    Use HTTPS

    Always use HTTPS for secure data transmission, especially with authentication.

Integration with Popular APIs

WooCommerce REST API

  • Method: GET
  • URL: https://yourstore.com/wp-json/wc/v3/products
  • Auth: Basic Auth
  • Username: consumer_key
  • Password: consumer_secret

Shopify API

  • Method: GET
  • URL: https://yourstore.myshopify.com/admin/api/2024-01/products.json
  • Auth: API Key

Headers:

{
  "X-Shopify-Access-Token": "your_token"
}

Amazon MWS/SP-API

  • Method: POST
  • URL: https://sellingpartnerapi-eu.amazon.com/...
  • Auth: Bearer Token
  • Token: AWS Signature v4 token

eBay API

  • Method: GET
  • URL: https://api.ebay.com/sell/inventory/v1/inventory_item
  • Auth: Bearer Token
  • Token: OAuth 2.0 token

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