Archive for category: APIs & Web Services

Richard Schoen

New QSHONI Commands for SQL and IFS on IBM i

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QSHONI integration for IBM i RPG, CL and open sourceQShell on i utility (QSHONI) makes it easy for traditional CL, RPG, and COBOL programs to call Python utilities and other QShell/PASE utility programs (PHP, Node, Java, etc.) and directly use their output. Last month we updated you on three new QSHONI features: QSHPHPRUN, QSHCALL and QSHPYCALL.

This month we will cover several other new and updated QSHONI features added in the past 12 months. Use the following quick links to read about a specific command.

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Amy Lantz

Integrating Open Source on IBM i: Advanced Topics and Optimization

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Pairing open source with traditional IBM i programs works great for APIs, web, and mobile applications. But how do you stay on top of your business’s requirements for speed and scalability?

OCEAN User Group recently asked Alan to help answer that question. In the recording of their November meeting (also linked from the graphic below), he covers:

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Alan Seiden

Finding Security Fixes for Apache on IBM i

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API and web security for IBM iThe Apache-based IBM HTTP Server for i is a vital defense in web and API security for IBM i. As such, it requires regular attention.

IBM Support’s PCI Compliance web page is a resource we use to help our clients protect their systems.

Even if your organization does not process, store, or transmit credit card information, applying the PTFs recommended for PCI compliance constitutes a general best practice for IBM i web and API security.

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Amy Lantz

IBM i API Examples Using RPG, Node.js, PHP, and Python

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The Toronto User Group recently invited Alan to speak with them about how to implement secure, flexible APIs to connect IBM i applications to other systems.

Using several real-world code examples written in various free tools and languages—including RPG, PHP, Python, and Node.js—Alan demonstrated how others send and receive data safely using their favorite language paired with IBM i business logic. This video contains the details.

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Calvin Buckley

Basic Authentication Credentials are Encrypted with TLS

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https://You may have heard claims that HTTP “basic” authentication (classic user/password popup prompt or via an API call) leaves credentials unencrypted and exposed. While it’s true that basic auth itself doesn’t encrypt credentials, this doesn’t matter in practice.

Modern sites and APIs should be using HTTPS, which encrypts everything over the wire, protecting basic authentication credentials in transit. This article will explain why that’s the case.

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Richard Schoen

curl Your RPG Apps with QSHCURL

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curlIn this post we’ll take a closer look at how IBM i developers can use the QSHCURL command to easily reach out from CL or RPG and talk to internet-based services and APIs, then consume the resulting data, without a lot of extra effort.

First we’ll provide a short curl intro, and then we’ll look at an example of how to use the PASE-based curl command with an RPG program.

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Alan Seiden

Does Our PHP API Need a Framework? A Q&A with Rob Allen

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API To follow up on Rob Allen’s article about choosing a PHP framework for APIs, here is an edited discussion between Rob and a developer at a Seiden Group client regarding their new API.

In this discussion, Rob addresses common developer concerns about frameworks for APIs.

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Rob Allen

How to Choose a PHP API Framework

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APIAlan and I provide API strategy for a software company who asked us whether they should use a PHP framework and, if so, which one would be best. They also wondered whether to invest in a commercial API gateway.

My thoughts on APIs and frameworks struck Alan as useful for any language and platform. Alan encouraged me to document my “philosophy of frameworks” here for anyone planning to develop web apps or APIs.

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Alan Seiden

Speed Up Web Pages and APIs Using Apache’s mod_deflate

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Apache HTTP Server ProjectWhen we do performance assessments for web applications and APIs running on HTTP Server (Powered by Apache) for i, one of the first things we do is enable a powerful Apache extension called mod_deflate. Just as zipping up files on your PC saves space and accelerates file transfers, mod_deflate compresses output from your server before sending it over your network.

Does it really work? My tests show a speed improvement of 10 to 50 percent!

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Liam Barry Allan

Node.js and IBM i – Getting Started Guide

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This guide will outline writing your first Node.js application. Node.js is a packaged version of the V8 Javascript engine, created by Google and shipped in Chromium. Although Node.js is cross-platform, specific tips for IBM i are given in section 8.

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