Chained API Requests in WordPress – Ingestics

Multi-Step API Calls

Ingestics supports chained API requests – a powerful feature that lets you make multiple API calls in sequence, where the output of one request feeds directly into the next. This enables complex data workflows that would otherwise require custom code or external middleware.

Variable Chaining with Response Mapping

Each step in a chain can reference variables from previous steps. When API call 1 returns a response, Ingestics maps specific fields from that response into variables. API call 2 can then use those variables in its URL, headers, query parameters, or request body. This chaining continues through up to 5 steps.

How It Works

1. Step 1: Send the initial API request (e.g., POST to an authentication endpoint)
2. Step 2: The response is parsed, and a token or ID is extracted into a variable
3. Step 3: The next API request uses that variable (e.g., GET data using the auth token)
4. Step 4: The final response is processed and published as a WordPress post

Example: Auth Token to Fetch Data

A common use case is authenticating with an API, then using the returned token to fetch protected data:

Step 1: POST https://api.example.com/auth
         Body: { "api_key": "your_key" }
         Response: { "token": "abc123" }

Step 2: GET https://api.example.com/data
         Header: Authorization: Bearer {step1.token}
         Response: { "articles": [...] }

Step 3: Map articles array to WordPress posts

Up to 5 Chain Steps

A single provider can chain up to 5 API requests in sequence. Each step can have its own HTTP method, URL, headers, query parameters, and body. Variable references use the syntax {stepN.fieldname} where N is the step number and fieldname is the JSON path in the response.

Use Cases

• Authenticated API access: Get a token, then fetch protected resources
• Paginated data fetching: Fetch page 1, extract total pages, fetch remaining pages
• Enrichment pipelines: Fetch a list of IDs, then fetch details for each ID
• Multi-endpoint aggregation: Combine data from several API endpoints into a single post

Tier Availability

Frequently Asked Questions

How many API calls can I chain together?

You can chain up to 5 API requests in a single provider configuration. Each step can reference variables from any previous step’s response.

How do I reference data from a previous step?

Use the syntax {stepN.fieldname} where N is the step number (1-based) and fieldname is the JSON path in the response. For example, {step1.token} references the token field from the first step’s response.

What happens if a step in the chain fails?

If any step in the chain returns an error status code, the chain stops and the error is logged. The provider’s health monitoring will flag the failure, and you can review the error details in the fetch log.

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