We are excited to share some news about Foxentry after a while, and it's not just the joyous exclamation that the kids are back at school. This time, it's something significant – introducing Foxentry API 2.0.
Without further delay, please take a moment to explore our new documentation and let's discuss the notable changes.
Foxentry API 2.0
You will notice changes right from the ground up. We have recently moved away from Apiary's Blueprint and transitioned to the OpenAPI specification, which is not only more modern but also widely used. This change allows you to test individual endpoints wherever you find it convenient. It significantly facilitates integration into various tools such as Postman or Spotlight.
A contented developer equals peace of mind for the manager
With the introduction of the new API, we've not only upgraded the technology but also revamped the overall developer experience. While we've always prided ourselves on providing a user-friendly interface for setting up Foxentry quickly (typically a matter of minutes), we acknowledge that our support for more complex API connections was somewhat lacking. Hence, we've decided to address this gap and, in collaboration with DX heroes, have initiated a comprehensive improvement of the Developer Experience. Anticipate a forthcoming Developer Hub, pre-built SDKs, No-code options, and various other exciting tools, all of which will be gradually unveiled on the Foxentry.dev portal.
So, what's on the horizon?
Primarily, we now offer multiple endpoints for diverse applications. For instance, you can utilize a one-input address autocomplete, engage in reverse geocoding (to discover available addresses in a given GPS location), or employ an autocomplete that identifies the most common email domains based on geolocation. The complete list of current endpoints is conveniently presented in the table below:
| Name | URL | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Validate company data | /company/validate | Validation of various company parameters and their combinations. |
| Search company | /company/search | Company autocomplete. |
| Get company data | /company/get | Get more information about a company. |
| Validate e-mail | /email/validate | Validation of e-mail addresses and deliverability check. |
| Search e-mail | /email/search | E-mail autocomplete. |
| Validate location data | /location/validate | Validation of various location data and their combinations. |
| Search location | /location/search | Address autocomplete. |
| Get location data | /location/get | Get more information about a location. |
| Localization | /location/localize | Return list of addresses in given GPS location. |
| Validate name data | /name/validate | Validation of names and surnames. |
| Validate phone number | /phone/validate | Validation of phone numbers and their connection to the network. |
New Response Logic
The response logic has undergone a comprehensive overhaul, where we now meticulously assess the validity of input information separately. This enables us to automatically correct information on-the-fly (resultCorrected) or suggest more satisfactory alternatives, even when the information is deemed valid (suggestions). This enhancement equips your developers with a versatile tool for various use cases. Now, they can not only determine the validity of data but also automatically correct and structure it to a significant extent.
Simultaneously, the response provides detailed insights into what is amiss with the validated information, including the severity of errors. Foxentry also supplies structured corrections and internal recommendations on how to handle the information, guiding you on what and how to display to users in your application.
New Engine for Autocomplete and Validators
In the realm of autocomplete and validators, we've taken a significant step forward. By employing a neural network for more intricate queries, we've enhanced our ability to validate even complex user errors. According to internal tests, this has led to a remarkable improvement in result accuracy, up to 37%. In practical terms, users can make more errors, and Foxentry remains adept at rectifying them all.
Additional Information Across Endpoints
Every endpoint now includes supplementary information that can be returned as part of the response. For instance, in email validation, you can now access warning signals, indicating whether it's a one-time email or a freemail. In name validation, support for correct address formats of first names, surnames, titles, and holiday dates for Czech and Slovak names has been added. Comprehensive details about available information are described within the datascopes of individual services, exemplified by a company's datascope.
Advanced Query Options and Filters
We currently have over 2,000 clients and many of them regularly share feedback with us. We primarily built the new version of the API to reflect the wishes and requirements we encountered during that time. Therefore, we think about different formats of both input and output information and offer users a wide range of options to adjust the response according to their needs. We are convinced that one of the use-cases will be the unification of internal data and their possible automatic structuring. Surely many of you deal daily that different systems require different data structure and quite a lot of effort is needed to have this data in the required format. Sometimes directly at the expense of users to whom some website owners delegate structuring, even unnatural for users (typically a divided column of street and descriptive numbers, which according to our tests is a much slower solution with a higher incidence of errors). The same goes for different formats of phone numbers, company details, and so on. Thanks to Foxentry, you can easily solve these things retrospectively and not unnecessarily complicate the entire process of ordering or filling out any form for users.
Preparing to Publish Newly Supported Countries
The new API simplifies the addition of newly supported countries, eliminating complex adjustments and concerns about resource quality and structure. Future updates will include the release of more countries, moving away from the previous practice of publishing countries individually within all services. Current service availability by country can be found here.
Important Information for Users of the Old Version
Users of the old version need not worry about Foxentry ceasing to function overnight. The old version will remain available for at least six months, but a switch to the new version is recommended as soon as possible due to the significant benefits it offers. The latest deadline for transitioning to the new API is March 1, 2024. In API 2.0, versioning and backward compatibility are considered, ensuring that new updates will not disrupt existing implementations.
What Awaits Us Soon
We are actively developing a new JS library to enable the use of the new API for web projects. This library will include an overall improvement of the UX for form filling. Additionally, we are in the final stages of connecting to MAKE or Zapier, with ongoing work on several other enhancements, and we will keep you updated on our progress.
Pavel Hrdlička
Founder of Foxentry and general in the battle against typos. A long-time lover of web design and smart solutions, who means business since kindergarten.