Best Practices

Optimize your Crash CODEX implementation for maximum efficiency

API Integration Best Practices

Authentication & Security

Store API Keys Securely

Never hardcode API keys in client-side code or version control.

# Environment variables
CODEX_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
CODEX_ENDPOINT=https://api.crashcodex.xyz

Use HTTPS Only

Always use HTTPS endpoints for secure communication.

Implement Request Signing

For high-security environments, implement request signing with timestamps.

Error Handling

Implement Retry Logic

Use exponential backoff for transient errors.

const retry = async (fn, retries = 3) => {
  for (let i = 0; i < retries; i++) {
    try {
      return await fn();
    } catch (error) {
      if (i === retries - 1) throw error;
      await delay(Math.pow(2, i) * 1000);
    }
  }
};

Handle Rate Limits

Respect rate limit headers and implement queue mechanisms.

Log Errors Appropriately

Log errors without exposing sensitive data in logs.

Performance Optimization

Request Optimization

Batch Requests When Possible

Group multiple operations into single API calls to reduce overhead.

// Instead of multiple single requests
const estimates = await Promise.all([
  generateEstimate(vehicle1),
  generateEstimate(vehicle2),
  generateEstimate(vehicle3)
]);

// Use batch endpoint
const estimates = await batchGenerateEstimates([
  vehicle1, vehicle2, vehicle3
]);

Use Appropriate Timeouts

Set reasonable timeout values based on operation complexity.

Simple queries:5-10 seconds

Estimate generation:30-60 seconds

Complex analysis:2-5 minutes

Caching Strategies

Response Caching

Cache frequently accessed data with appropriate TTL values.

• Vehicle data: 24 hours

• Labor rates: 6 hours

• Part prices: 2 hours

Conditional Requests

Use ETags and Last-Modified headers to avoid unnecessary data transfer.

If-None-Match: "abc123"

Partial Responses

Request only the fields you need to reduce payload size.

?fields=total,labor,parts

Data Quality & Accuracy

Input Validation

VIN Validation

Always validate VIN format and check digit before API calls.

const validateVIN = (vin) => {
  const vinRegex = /^[A-HJ-NPR-Z0-9]{17}$/;
  return vinRegex.test(vin) && 
         calculateCheckDigit(vin) === vin[8];
};

Damage Description Quality

Provide detailed, structured damage descriptions for better accuracy.

✓ "Front bumper damaged, driver side headlight cracked"

✗ "Front end damage"

Response Validation

Confidence Score Monitoring

Monitor confidence scores and flag low-confidence estimates for review.

High confidence:95%+ - Auto-approve

Medium confidence:80-94% - Review recommended

Low confidence:<80% - Manual review required

Sanity Checks

Implement business logic validation on responses.

Integration Patterns

Asynchronous Processing

Webhook Implementation

Use webhooks for long-running operations like complex estimates.

// Submit estimate request
const response = await fetch('/api/estimate', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'X-Webhook-URL': 'https://your-app.com/webhook'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify(estimateData)
});

const { requestId } = await response.json();

// Handle webhook callback
app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const { requestId, status, result } = req.body;
  if (status === 'completed') {
    processEstimate(result);
  }
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

Polling Strategy

For environments that can't receive webhooks, use efficient polling.

const pollForResult = async (requestId) => {
  const maxAttempts = 20;
  const delay = 5000; // 5 seconds
  
  for (let i = 0; i < maxAttempts; i++) {
    const status = await checkStatus(requestId);
    
    if (status.completed) {
      return status.result;
    }
    
    await new Promise(resolve => 
      setTimeout(resolve, delay * Math.pow(1.2, i))
    );
  }
  
  throw new Error('Timeout waiting for result');
};

Microservices Architecture

Service Separation

Separate CODEX integration into dedicated microservices.

• Estimate Service

• ADAS Service

• Pricing Service

• Report Service

Circuit Breaker

Implement circuit breaker pattern for resilience.

• Failure threshold: 5 errors

• Timeout: 30 seconds

• Recovery time: 60 seconds

Load Balancing

Distribute requests across multiple service instances.

• Round-robin distribution

• Health check endpoints

• Graceful degradation

Monitoring & Analytics

Key Metrics to Track

API Performance

• Response time percentiles (p50, p95, p99)

• Error rates by endpoint

• Request volume trends

• Rate limit utilization

Business Metrics

• Estimate accuracy rates

• Supplement prediction accuracy

• ADAS detection coverage

• Processing time by complexity

Alerting Strategy

Critical Alerts

• API downtime or 5xx errors

• Authentication failures

• Rate limit exceeded

• Response time > 60 seconds

Warning Alerts

• Error rate > 5%

• Confidence scores trending down

• Unusual request patterns

• Queue depth increasing

Security Best Practices

Data Protection

Encrypt Sensitive Data

Encrypt PII and sensitive vehicle information in transit and at rest.

Data Minimization

Only collect and transmit data necessary for the operation.

Data Retention

Implement appropriate data retention and deletion policies.

Access Control

Principle of Least Privilege

Grant minimum necessary API permissions for each use case.

API Key Rotation

Regularly rotate API keys and implement key versioning.

Access Logging

Log all API access for security monitoring and compliance.

Need Implementation Help?

Our technical team can help you implement these best practices in your environment.

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