This API is a REST API and this documentation assumes that the reader understand how to interact RESTful API as well as being familiar with other technologies such as OAuth and JSON. Communications with the server have multiple layers of security with different options to fit different implementations ranging from simple Wordpress sites to back-office solutions to full enterprise-to-enterprise partnerships.
To start using the API you will need to follow the instructions below, which basically deal with introducing yourself to us so we can get an API account set up that meets the requirements of your project.
REST stands for Representational State Transfer, and a search of the web will yield a lot of information. Basically URLs (aka URIs) are used - as originally designed - to identity ("locate") a specific resource. In an API this resource is typically an entity such as a database record, or a process such as 'roll over calendar' or ‘update market values’. In this API a resource typically represents data in the Advisors Assistant database such as a Name, Address, Investment Account, Insurance Policy, Calendar Event, etc. So, a URI for a given Name would look like “https://API.MyAdvisorsAssistant.com/v1/Names/{id}” where the “{id}” at the end is actually a GUID that identifies the name record in the specific Advisors Assistant database that you are working with. Once the URI for a specific resource is known, it can be called in conjunction with several types of HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE) in order to get data about the resource, add new data, update existing data, and delete data.
Bearer Token is a widely used protocol for handling the authorization of API callers to make their requests. It provides a standardized way for the caller to prove to the API both who they are and what API functions they're allowed to use. There are many facets to OAuth depending on the environment that the calling application will be running within (e.g. a website, a desktop application, an app on a mobile device, etc.). In order to successfully call this API, each request must include an Authorization Header containing a valid Access Token. Access Tokens are issued by calling the "Auth" method of the API, and more information can be found HERE.