Understanding API usage

This article covers the following topics:

• How APIs work
• Inbound API calls
• Outbound API calls
• Webhooks
• Instance plan usage
• Checking your usage
• Best practices for high usage applications

How APIs work

An API is a set of rules that allows different software applications to communicate and share data. It acts as an intermediary, defining the data formats and methods for interaction, enabling developers to connect their applications to other services via HTTP requests.

Inbound API calls

Inbound API calls are requests made to your Insites instance from an external server or client. They only request raw data, so they do not count toward your API usage limits. Instead, they are measured against your bandwidth allocation, a separate, generous allowance on all plans.

You can monitor your bandwidth usage in the Insites Console and Instance Admin (IIA). Plan overages are available to accommodate high traffic without requiring an immediate plan upgrade.

Outbound API calls

Outbound API calls occur when your instance communicates with an external server to create, retrieve, update, or delete data (CRUD operations). Each call and its response counts toward your hosting plan's usage limit.

Webhooks

Webhooks operate over HTTP but do not count toward your monthly API call quota. Their data transfer is included in your monthly bandwidth usage.

Instance plan usage

Three hosting plans are available for Insites. It is important to understand what each plan includes and to monitor your usage regularly to avoid unexpected costs, particularly if your application depends on regular updates from external services.

Checking your usage

A detailed breakdown of your API usage is available in the Insites Console and IIA. Usage data is updated daily and presented monthly.

If you exceed a usage metric, you can purchase overages in small increments rather than upgrading to a higher plan. See the pricing page for overage costs.

Best practices for high usage applications

If your application requires frequent updates from third-party servers, use an external service such as AWS Serverless functions or an automation platform like Make or Zapier to push data into your instance rather than pulling it. This avoids counting toward your external API usage and provides built-in logging and retry mechanisms.

Contact our support team if you need guidance on the optimal setup for your application.