About the Coalesce API
In today’s fast-paced data-driven world, automation, integration, and scalability are crucial for modern data engineering. The Coalesce API empowers developers, analysts, and engineers to streamline their workflows, integrate with external tools, and build robust data pipelines. Whether you’re migrating data, monitoring runs, or embedding data tasks into your existing scheduling systems, the Coalesce API offers the flexibility and power you need.
This guide will walk you through the Coalesce API’s key features, show you how to get started, and explore real-world use cases that can elevate your data operations.
In this article:
API Features
The Coalesce API is structured into two primary segments: the Coalesce API itself and the Run API. Each provides a specific set of endpoints designed to help you interact programmatically with the Coalesce platform.
Coalesce API Endpoints
- Get / List Environments: Fetch available environments where your Coalesce projects live.
- List / Get / Create / Set Nodes: Manage your data transformation nodes—essential building blocks of any pipeline.
- List / Get Runs: Retrieve historical or current run information for traceability and auditing.
- List Run Results: Analyze outputs and diagnostics of your executed runs.
Run API Endpoints
- Start / Stop / Retry Run: Full control over triggering, halting, or retrying your pipeline executions.
- Check Live Run Status: Monitor real-time status of ongoing processes.
These features provide a comprehensive toolkit for orchestrating and managing your Coalesce-powered data architecture.
Using the API
One of the strengths of the Coalesce API is its accessibility across a wide range of tools and platforms. Here’s how you can explore and interact with the API in your development environment:
- API Explorer: Use the built-in API Explorer for hands-on experimentation and learning.
- Postman Collection: Easily import the Coalesce API into Postman to structure and test API calls efficiently.
- Insomnia: Another popular REST client for interacting with Coalesce endpoints with ease.
- Command Line: cURL and other CLI tools allow direct HTTP requests for automation and scripting.
- Azure Data Factory: Seamlessly integrate Coalesce into your Azure-based ETL pipelines.
- Any API-compatible platform: Virtually any system that can make HTTP requests can work with Coalesce.
Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just getting started with APIs, Coalesce’s compatibility makes it a flexible choice for various setups.
Real-World Use Cases
Now that you know what the API offers, let’s look at some practical scenarios where it can deliver significant value:
- Migration Projects: Automate and validate data migration workflows by triggering and monitoring Coalesce runs through the API.
- Monitoring of Runs: Build dashboards or alerting systems using live run status and result endpoints.
- External Scheduler Integration: Integrate with orchestration tools like Apache Airflow, Prefect, or Dagster to manage your Coalesce executions.
- Tool Synchronization: Keep multiple tools in sync by triggering workflows or pushing outputs via API commands.
- And More!: The flexible design means you can build custom solutions tailored to your organization’s specific needs.
The API is your gateway to turning Coalesce into a true component of your larger data ecosystem.
How to Get Started
Getting up and running with the Coalesce API is straightforward. Here are the initial steps you need to take:
Base URL
The API’s base URL depends on your Coalesce instance region. A common URL looks like this:
https://app.coalescesoftware.io
Bearer Token
For authentication, you’ll need a Bearer Token. You can create this securely within the Coalesce platform under the Deploy section.
Environment ID (Optional)
You can use the API to list all environments if you’re unsure which ID to use. This is optional depending on your endpoint needs.
Workspace ID
This is critical for API calls involving workspace-specific data. You can find your Workspace ID in the Coalesce interface under Build Settings.
Once you have these items, you’re ready to begin sending requests and building out your automation workflows.
Conclusion
The Coalesce API opens a world of possibilities for enhancing your data workflows. With comprehensive functionality, real-time interaction, and seamless integration options, it’s an essential tool for any team looking to operationalize their data stack efficiently.
Start small—experiment with API Explorer or Postman—and gradually integrate Coalesce API calls into your ETL processes, monitoring tools, and data orchestration pipelines. The flexibility and control you gain will be well worth the investment.
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Meet the Speaker
Tim Kirschke
Senior Consultant
Tim has a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and has been working as a BI consultant for Scalefree since the beginning of 2021. He’s an expert in the design and implementation of BI solutions, with focus on the Data Vault 2.0 methodology. His main areas of expertise are dbt, Coalesce, and BigQuery.
