Flow.Ingoing

Flow.Ingoing is a powerful .NET library that simplifies API integration by providing a flexible and configurable way to process API flows with support for various authentication methods, content types, and nested call stacks.

✨ Features

🔐 Multiple Authentication Protocols — Basic, OAuth2 (Client Credentials, Password, Authorization Code), and API Key
📄 Content Type Handling — JSON and XML with automatic fallback parsing
🔄 Nested API Call Stacks — Chain API calls with parent-child relationships
🔗 Dynamic Link Substitution — Inject response values into subsequent requests
🔁 Automatic Retry Policy — Built-in retry logic with exponential backoff (5 retries)
📝 Comprehensive Logging — Full request/response logging via ILogger
⚡ Fully Asynchronous — Non-blocking operations with CancellationToken support
💉 Dependency Injection Ready — Easy integration with ASP.NET Core

📦 Installation

dotnet add package Flow.Ingoing

Or via the Package Manager Console:

Install-Package Flow.Ingoing

🚀 Quick Start

Basic Example

using Flow.Ingoing;
using Flow.Ingoing.Consts;
using Flow.Ingoing.Models;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;

// Create a logger (or inject via DI)
var loggerFactory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => builder.AddConsole());
var logger = loggerFactory.CreateLogger<RequestLoggingHandler>();

// Define your API flow
var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "GetUsers",
    BaseUrl = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com",
    ContentType = ContentTypes.Json,
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "Users",
            Path = "/users",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get
        }
    }
};

// Process the flow
var processor = new ApiFlowProcessor(logger);
string result = await processor.ProcessAsync(flow);

Console.WriteLine(result);

Dependency Injection Setup (ASP.NET Core)

using Flow.Ingoing.Extensions;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Register Flow.Ingoing services
builder.Services.AddFlowIngoingS();

var app = builder.Build();

Then inject ApiFlowProcessor into your services:

public class MyApiService
{
    private readonly ApiFlowProcessor _processor;

    public MyApiService(ApiFlowProcessor processor)
    {
        _processor = processor;
    }

    public async Task<string> FetchDataAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
    {
        var flow = new ApiFlow
        {
            Name = "FetchData",
            BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
            CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
            {
                new CallStack { Name = "Data", Path = "/data", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
            }
        };

        return await _processor.ProcessAsync(flow, cancellationToken);
    }
}

🔐 Authentication

Flow.Ingoing supports multiple authentication protocols with various workflows.

Basic Authentication

Simple Basic Auth (Header)

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "BasicAuthFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    AuthentificationProtocol = new BasicProtocolParameters
    {
        Workflow = BasicAuthentificationWorkflow.Basic,
        Username = "your_username",
        Password = "your_password"
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "SecureData", Path = "/secure/data", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

Token-Based Basic Auth

Retrieves a token using basic credentials, then uses the token for subsequent requests:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "TokenBasedAuth",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    AuthentificationProtocol = new BasicProtocolParameters
    {
        Workflow = BasicAuthentificationWorkflow.Token,
        Url = "https://auth.example.com/token",
        Username = "your_username",
        Password = "your_password",
        Headers = new Dictionary<string, string>
        {
            { "X-Client-Id", "my-client" }
        }
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "Data", Path = "/api/data", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

OAuth2 Authentication

Client Credentials Flow

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "OAuth2ClientCredentials",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    AuthentificationProtocol = new OAuth2ProtocolParameters
    {
        Workflow = OAuth2AuthentificationWorkflow.ClientCredentials,
        Url = "https://auth.example.com/oauth/token",
        ClientId = "your_client_id",
        ClientSecret = "your_client_secret"
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "Resources", Path = "/api/resources", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

Password Flow (Resource Owner)

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "OAuth2Password",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    AuthentificationProtocol = new OAuth2ProtocolParameters
    {
        Workflow = OAuth2AuthentificationWorkflow.Password,
        Url = "https://auth.example.com/oauth/token",
        ClientId = "your_client_id",
        ClientSecret = "your_client_secret",
        Username = "user@example.com",
        Password = "user_password"
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "Profile", Path = "/api/profile", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

Authorization Code Flow

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "OAuth2AuthCode",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    AuthentificationProtocol = new OAuth2ProtocolParameters
    {
        Workflow = OAuth2AuthentificationWorkflow.AuthorizationCode,
        Url = "https://auth.example.com/oauth/authorize",
        ClientId = "your_client_id",
        ClientSecret = "your_client_secret"
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "UserData", Path = "/api/user", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

API Key Authentication

Header-Based API Key

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "ApiKeyAuth",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    AuthentificationProtocol = new ApiKeyProtocolParameters
    {
        Workflow = BasicAuthentificationWorkflow.Basic,
        ApiKey = "your_api_key_here"
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "Data", Path = "/api/data", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

Token-Based API Key

Uses the API key to retrieve a bearer token:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "ApiKeyTokenAuth",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    AuthentificationProtocol = new ApiKeyProtocolParameters
    {
        Workflow = BasicAuthentificationWorkflow.Token,
        Url = "https://auth.example.com/api-key/token",
        ApiKey = "your_api_key_here"
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "SecureData", Path = "/api/secure", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

🔄 HTTP Methods

Flow.Ingoing supports all common HTTP verbs:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "CrudOperations",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        // GET request
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "GetUsers",
            Path = "/users",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get
        },
        // POST request with body
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "CreateUser",
            Path = "/users",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Post,
            Body = new Dictionary<string, string>
            {
                { "name", "John Doe" },
                { "email", "john@example.com" }
            }
        },
        // PUT request
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "UpdateUser",
            Path = "/users/1",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Put,
            Body = new Dictionary<string, string>
            {
                { "name", "Jane Doe" }
            }
        },
        // PATCH request
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "PatchUser",
            Path = "/users/1",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Patch,
            Body = new Dictionary<string, string>
            {
                { "status", "active" }
            }
        },
        // DELETE request
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "DeleteUser",
            Path = "/users/1",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Delete
        }
    }
};

🔗 Advanced Usage

Custom Headers

Add custom headers to all requests in a flow:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "CustomHeadersFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    Headers = new Dictionary<string, string>
    {
        { "X-Custom-Header", "custom-value" },
        { "Accept-Language", "en-US" },
        { "X-Request-Id", Guid.NewGuid().ToString() }
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "Data", Path = "/api/data", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

Nested Call Stacks (Parent-Child Relationships)

Chain API calls where child requests use data from parent responses:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "NestedCallsFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com",
    BaseTag = "ApiResponse",
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "Users",
            Path = "/users",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
            Childrens = new List<CallStack>
            {
                new CallStack
                {
                    Name = "Posts",
                    Path = "/users/{userId}/posts",
                    ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
                    // Maps {userId} from parent response's "id" field
                    Links = new Dictionary<string, string>
                    {
                        { "{userId}", "id" }
                    },
                    Childrens = new List<CallStack>
                    {
                        new CallStack
                        {
                            Name = "Comments",
                            Path = "/posts/{postId}/comments",
                            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
                            Links = new Dictionary<string, string>
                            {
                                { "{postId}", "id" }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                new CallStack
                {
                    Name = "Todos",
                    Path = "/users/{userId}/todos",
                    ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
                    Links = new Dictionary<string, string>
                    {
                        { "{userId}", "id" }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
};

// Result will be a nested JSON with Users -> Posts -> Comments and Users -> Todos
string result = await processor.ProcessAsync(flow);

Dynamic Link Substitution

Use links to dynamically inject values into paths, headers, and body:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "DynamicLinksFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    Headers = new Dictionary<string, string>
    {
        { "X-Tenant-Id", "{tenantId}" }
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "TenantData",
            Path = "/tenants/{tenantId}/resources/{resourceType}",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
            Links = new Dictionary<string, string>
            {
                { "{tenantId}", "tenant-123" },
                { "{resourceType}", "documents" }
            }
        }
    }
};

Response Mapping

Extract specific properties from API responses using ResponseToMap:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "ResponseMappingFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        // Extract nested property
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "UserProfile",
            Path = "/users/1",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
            ResponseToMap = "data.profile"  // Maps to response.data.profile
        },
        // Extract single property
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "Items",
            Path = "/items",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
            ResponseToMap = "results"  // Maps to response.results
        }
    }
};

Null Substitution

Provide default values when a call stack doesn't make a request:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "NullSubstitutionFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "DefaultConfig",
            // No path means no HTTP request
            NullSubstitue = """{"theme": "dark", "language": "en"}"""
        },
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "UserSettings",
            Path = "/users/1/settings",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get
        }
    }
};

XML Content Type

Handle XML APIs with automatic parsing:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "XmlApiFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://xml-api.example.com",
    ContentType = ContentTypes.Xml,
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "XmlData",
            Path = "/api/data.xml",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
            ResponseToMap = "root.items"
        }
    }
};

Base Tag Wrapper

Wrap all results in a root element:

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "WrappedResultFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://api.example.com",
    BaseTag = "ApiResponse",  // Wraps result in {"ApiResponse": {...}}
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack { Name = "Users", Path = "/users", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get },
        new CallStack { Name = "Products", Path = "/products", ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get }
    }
};

// Result: {"ApiResponse": {"Users": [...], "Products": [...]}}

⚠️ Error Handling

The library includes built-in retry logic (5 attempts with incremental delay) and comprehensive error handling:

try
{
    var result = await processor.ProcessAsync(flow, cancellationToken);
    Console.WriteLine(result);
}
catch (HttpRequestException ex)
{
    // Handle HTTP-specific errors (401, 403, 404, 500, etc.)
    logger.LogError(ex, "HTTP request failed");
}
catch (InvalidOperationException ex)
{
    // Handle parsing errors (invalid JSON/XML)
    logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to parse response");
}
catch (EntryPointNotFoundException ex)
{
    // Handle empty results
    logger.LogWarning(ex, "No results found");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    // Handle general errors
    logger.LogError(ex, "Error processing flow: {Name}", flow.Name);
}

Automatic Re-authentication

When receiving 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden, the processor automatically re-authenticates and retries the request:

// The processor handles token expiration automatically
var result = await processor.ProcessAsync(flow);
// If token expired during processing, it will re-authenticate and retry

📋 Complete Real-World Example

Here's a complete example fetching users with their posts and comments from JSONPlaceholder:

using Flow.Ingoing;
using Flow.Ingoing.Consts;
using Flow.Ingoing.Models;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;

var loggerFactory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => 
    builder.AddConsole().SetMinimumLevel(LogLevel.Debug));
var logger = loggerFactory.CreateLogger<RequestLoggingHandler>();

var flow = new ApiFlow
{
    Name = "JSONPlaceholderFullFlow",
    BaseUrl = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com",
    ContentType = ContentTypes.Json,
    BaseTag = "Data",
    Headers = new Dictionary<string, string>
    {
        { "Accept", "application/json" }
    },
    CallStacks = new List<CallStack>
    {
        new CallStack
        {
            Name = "Users",
            Path = "/users",
            ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
            Childrens = new List<CallStack>
            {
                new CallStack
                {
                    Name = "Posts",
                    Path = "/posts?userId={userId}",
                    ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
                    Links = new Dictionary<string, string>
                    {
                        { "{userId}", "id" }
                    }
                },
                new CallStack
                {
                    Name = "Albums",
                    Path = "/albums?userId={userId}",
                    ApiMethod = HttpVerbs.Get,
                    Links = new Dictionary<string, string>
                    {
                        { "{userId}", "id" }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
};

var processor = new ApiFlowProcessor(logger);
using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5));

try
{
    string result = await processor.ProcessAsync(flow, cts.Token);
    
    // Parse and use the result
    var data = System.Text.Json.JsonDocument.Parse(result);
    Console.WriteLine($"Fetched {data.RootElement.GetProperty("Data")
        .GetProperty("Users").GetArrayLength()} users with their posts and albums");
}
catch (OperationCanceledException)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Operation was cancelled");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}");
}

🧪 Configuration Reference

ApiFlow Properties

Property	Type	Description
`Name`	`string`	Identifier for the flow (used in logging)
`BaseUrl`	`string`	Base URL for all API calls
`BaseTag`	`string`	Optional root wrapper for the result JSON
`ContentType`	`ContentTypes`	Expected response format (`Json` or `Xml`)
`Headers`	`Dictionary<string, string>`	Custom headers for all requests
`AuthentificationProtocol`	`AuthentificationProtocolParameters`	Authentication configuration
`CallStacks`	`List<CallStack>`	List of API calls to execute

CallStack Properties

Property	Type	Description
`Name`	`string`	Property name in the result JSON
`Path`	`string`	API endpoint path (supports placeholders)
`ApiMethod`	`HttpVerbs`	HTTP method (`Get`, `Post`, `Put`, `Patch`, `Delete`)
`Links`	`Dictionary<string, string>`	Placeholder-to-value mappings
`Body`	`Dictionary<string, string>`	Request body for POST/PUT/PATCH
`ResponseToMap`	`string`	Dot-notation path to extract from response
`NullSubstitue`	`string`	Default JSON when no request is made
`Childrens`	`List<CallStack>`	Nested API calls using parent data

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

👤 Author

Nuno ARAUJO

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 8 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
Flow.Ingoing		Flow.Ingoing
.gitignore		.gitignore
Flow.Ingoing.sln		Flow.Ingoing.sln
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md

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Flow.Ingoing

✨ Features

📦 Installation

🚀 Quick Start

Basic Example

Dependency Injection Setup (ASP.NET Core)

🔐 Authentication

Basic Authentication

Simple Basic Auth (Header)

Token-Based Basic Auth

OAuth2 Authentication

Client Credentials Flow

Password Flow (Resource Owner)

Authorization Code Flow

API Key Authentication

Header-Based API Key

Token-Based API Key

🔄 HTTP Methods

🔗 Advanced Usage

Custom Headers

Nested Call Stacks (Parent-Child Relationships)

Dynamic Link Substitution

Response Mapping

Null Substitution

XML Content Type

Base Tag Wrapper

⚠️ Error Handling

Automatic Re-authentication

📋 Complete Real-World Example

🧪 Configuration Reference

ApiFlow Properties

CallStack Properties

🤝 Contributing

📄 License

👤 Author

🔗 Links

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