Best Practices

Tips for getting the most out of the Travelmode API.

Authentication

Secure Key Storage

Do:

import os
API_KEY = os.environ.get('TRAVELMODE_API_KEY')

Don't:

API_KEY = 'tm_abc123...'  # Never hardcode keys!

Use Minimum Scopes

Only request the scopes you need:

• read - For read-only applications
• read, write - For apps that create/update data
• read, write, delete - Only when deletion is required

Rate Limiting

Implement Exponential Backoff

import time

def make_request(url, headers, max_retries=3):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
        
        if response.status_code == 429:
            wait_time = 2 ** attempt  # 1, 2, 4 seconds
            time.sleep(wait_time)
            continue
            
        return response
    
    raise Exception("Max retries exceeded")

Cache Responses

Reduce API calls by caching data that doesn't change frequently:

from functools import lru_cache

@lru_cache(maxsize=100, ttl=300)  # 5 minute cache
def get_trip(trip_id):
    return requests.get(f"/api/trips/{trip_id}", headers=headers)

Revision Control

Always Include Expected Revision

For v1 API operations, include the expected revision to prevent conflicts:

{
  "operation": "MOVE_EVENT",
  "eventId": 5,
  "newStartDateTime": "2024-06-16T14:00:00Z",
  "expectedRevision": 42
}

Handle Revision Conflicts Gracefully

def update_with_retry(trip_id, operation):
    for _ in range(3):
        itinerary = get_itinerary(trip_id)
        operation['expectedRevision'] = itinerary['revision']
        
        response = apply_operation(trip_id, operation)
        
        if response.status_code != 409:
            return response
    
    raise Exception("Could not resolve revision conflict")

Error Handling

Always Check Response Status

response = requests.post(url, json=data, headers=headers)

if not response.ok:
    error = response.json().get('error', 'Unknown error')
    logging.error(f"API error: {error}")
    raise APIError(error)

Log API Errors

Maintain logs for debugging:

import logging

logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
logging.info(f"GET {url} - {response.status_code}")

if not response.ok:
    logging.error(f"Error: {response.text}")

Performance

Batch Operations When Possible

Instead of multiple single requests:

# Slow - multiple requests
for event in events:
    create_event(event)

# Better - if batch endpoint available
create_events_batch(events)

Use Pagination Efficiently

def get_all_trips():
    trips = []
    page = 1
    
    while True:
        response = get_trips(page=page, limit=50)
        trips.extend(response['data'])
        
        if page >= response['pagination']['totalPages']:
            break
        page += 1
    
    return trips

Security

Rotate Keys Periodically

Create new keys and revoke old ones regularly.

Monitor API Usage

Track your API usage through rate limit headers:

remaining = response.headers.get('X-RateLimit-Remaining')
if int(remaining) < 100:
    logging.warning(f"Low rate limit remaining: {remaining}")