Interactive API Tools

Nolt provides two interactive tools to help you explore and test the APIs: the API Playground and Apollo Sandbox.

API Playground

The API Playground is a dedicated environment for testing Nolt's GraphQL API. You can access it at API Playground.

Features:

• Interactive query builder
• Real-time query validation
• Built-in documentation explorer
• Request/response inspector
• Support for headers (for authentication)

Getting Started with API Playground:

1. Visit the API Playground

2. Add your authentication headers in the "HTTP Headers" section:

   {
     "apikey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
     "ssotype": "SSO_TYPE",
     "ssoid": "USER_SSO_ID"
   }

   Note: For creating a SSO user (API User), you don't need to pass ssotype and ssoid in headers.

3. Write your query in the left panel

4. Click the "Play" button to execute

5. View results in the right panel

Apollo Sandbox

Apollo Sandbox is a more advanced tool that provides additional features for API exploration and testing. Access it at Apollo Sandbox.

Features:

• Advanced query building interface
• Schema exploration
• Query history
• Response timing information
• Network request details
• Variable management

Getting Started with Apollo Sandbox:

1. Visit Apollo Sandbox

2. Set up your authentication:

   • Click on "Headers" in the bottom panel

   • Add your authentication headers:

     {
       "apikey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
       "ssotype": "SSO_TYPE",
       "ssoid": "USER_SSO_ID"
     }

     Note: For creating a SSO user (API User), you don't need to pass ssotype and ssoid in headers.

3. Use the Explorer panel to build queries

4. Execute queries using the "Play" button

5. View responses and performance metrics

Creating Users via API

When creating users through the GraphQL API, you can specify whether the user is an API user by setting the isApiUser flag:

mutation {
  createUser(
    ssoId: "USER_SSO_ID",
    name: "User Name",
    email: "user@example.com",
    ssoType: "SSO_TYPE",
    isApiUser: true  # Optional flag to mark user as API User
  ) {
    id
    name
    isAPIUser
  }
}

Understanding User Types

• API Users (isApiUser: true):

  • Users created specifically through the GraphQL Public API
  • Displayed with an "API User" badge in the User Profile UI
  • Makes it easy to track which posts/comments came from API integrations

• SSO Users (isApiUser: false or omitted):

  • Default user type
  • Can be created through custom SSO or GraphQL API
  • No special badge in the User Profile UI
  • Typically represents users created through the Nolt SSO or other custom SSO integrations

This distinction helps board members understand the source of user interactions and better manage their community.

Tips for Both Tools

• Always include your API key in the headers
• For most operations, include ssotype and ssoid in headers (except for user creation)
• Start with simple queries and gradually build more complex ones
• Use the built-in documentation to explore available fields and types
• Save your frequently used queries for reuse
• Test different scenarios with various input parameters
• Check error responses to understand API behavior

When to Use Which Tool

• API Playground: Best for:

  • Quick API exploration
  • Simple queries and mutations
  • Basic testing needs
  • Learning the API structure

• Apollo Sandbox: Better for:

  • Complex query development
  • Detailed performance analysis
  • Advanced schema exploration
  • Professional API development
  • Team collaboration