Getting started with RAW

info

If you have development experience and prefer a hands-on approach, visit our Tutorials or Examples to get started now.

If you have questions/comments, join us in our Community to learn more!

RAW is a platform to enable fast and easy access, integration, delivery and sharing of data services as APIs. This includes:

1. Query multiple data sources in real-time including files, data lakes, databases and APIs;
2. Integrate and transform data in real-time;
3. Deliver and manage the data product output as APIs;
4. Share access to the APIs with any number of users or applications.

RAW's use cases cover the entire data chain from acquisition, transformation as well as sharing.

RAW main features are:

• Runs in the Cloud in a scalable infrastructure that is fully managed for you.
• Supports various code development languages, including SQL and Snapi, a low-code data-oriented scripting language that is designed to handle the most complex data integration scenarios.
• Built for "developers first", with best-in-class development experience.
• Is DataOps-ready and "automation friendly", including Git integration and a built-in CI/CD infrastructure for testing and hosting data APIs.

Building your 1st API with RAW

info

We encourage you to follow along by creating your Free Account now!

Let's create your first RAW API. This should be pretty easy!

Here's what we will do:

• Login or Register for a free RAW account.
• In the RAW Workspace, click the "New Endpoint"
• Choose the programming language you are most comfortable with - and definitely try Snapi if you are not familiar with it, as it is very easy to get started.
• Choose the option to create an andpoint from an existing template; it's the simplest way to start..
• Modify the newly-created endpoint if you wish, press "Play" to test it, and then "Deploy" it.
• Finally, click to see it in the RAW catalog and start using your new API!

Now let's go step-by-step in some more detail!

First step is to login or, for first-time users, register for a free account.

Once you do so, you will land in the RAW interface.

The first step is to go to "Workspace" section. This is where you can create endpoints and manage existing ones. If it's your first time in the system, you will be shown directly a popup to create your first endpoint. Otherwise, click on "Add endpoint" to create a new one.

You can now choose to create an endpoint from an existing template in your language of choice. Templates are pre-created endpoints with metadata definitions and code, which allow you to get started quickly. We provide a wide-variety of working templates to start from, covering how to use multiple different data sources, address a variety of typical business or technical problems, etc. You can always start from a "Blank Endpoint", or choose one that is interesting to you.

As an example, we will click on the "CSV" tag and choose "Build a mock API from a CSV file". This is a template that shows how to create mock APIs that serve mock data stored on a CSV file.

(If you are a first-time user, just follow the tour along, which automates all the remaining steps.) Your endpoint is now created in "draft" mode, which means it is not yet published. You can now change the URL where it is published, edit the title, description, or even the code.

info

Templates are specific to the language you chose. Many of them are written in the Snapi programming language, an easy-to-use programming language designed specifically to process data quickly. You can learn more about Snapi here.

To test the endpoint, use the Play button. Finally, to publish it, click on the "Deploy" button.

Once it's deployed, the endpoint is now available to use! You can now see the endpoint in the "Catalog" section. If you click on "See in catalog" after publication, it will take you there directly.

Now your endpoint is ready to use. You can invoke it using some of the examples provided, e.g. CURL or others.

Congratulations! You created your first API in RAW in a few steps.

There is of course a lot more to RAW to explore next. You can learn about:

• Snapi's powerful features for querying and integrating data in real-time;
• accessing data sources
• configuring output formats
• securing endpoints and monitoring activity;
• managing users and invitations;
• managing API keys;
• exploring the RAW catalog;
• use GitHub integration for teams to work collaboratively.

You will find pointers to all these topics in the index on the left-hand side. Keep on reading!

Next Steps

If you are keen to get "hands on", as the next step we recommend browsing through the Tutorials section for step-by-step examples.

Ready to try it out?

Register for free and start building today!

Otherwise, if you have questions/comments, join us in our Community!