Call an HTTP Service (APIs, Rest)

HTTP task allows you to make calls to remote services exposed over HTTP/HTTPS.

Definitions

   {
       "name": "http_task",
       "taskReferenceName": "http_task_ref",
       "type" : "HTTP",
       "inputParameters": {
           "uri": "https://catfact.ninja/fact",
           "method": "GET",
           "connectionTimeOut": 3000,
           "readTimeOut": 3000
       }
   }

Input Parameters

Attribute	Description
uri	Provide the URI for the service. It can be a partial value when using vipAddress or it can be the server address.
method	Choose the HTTP method. Conductor supports the methods: GET, HEAD, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, and OPTIONS
accept	Provide the accept header as required by the server. By default, it is set to application/json.
contentType	Provide the content type for the server. The supported types are text/plain, text/html, and application/json. By default, it is set to application/json.
headers	A map of additional http headers to be sent along with the request.
body	Request body when using POST or PUT.
asyncComplete	If set, the task remains in the IN_PROGRESS state even after the execution. An external event (Task Update API or Event handler) is expected to mark the task as completed.
connectionTimeOut	Set the connection timeout in milliseconds. If set to 0, it is equivalent to infinity. By default, the value is set to 100.
readTimeOut	Set the read timeout in milliseconds. If set to 0, it is equivalent to infinity. By default, the value is set to 150.
cacheConfig	Enabling this option allows saving the cache output of the task. On enabling you can provide the following parameters: TTL (in seconds) - Provide the time to live in seconds.You can also pass this parameter as variables. Cache Key - Provide the cache key, which is a string with parameter substitution based on the task input. You can also pass this parameter as variables.

Output Parameters

Attribute	Description
response	JSON body containing the response if present.
headers	Response Headers.
statusCode	HTTP Status Code.
reasonPhrase	HTTP Status Code's reason phrase.

Examples

UI

1. Add task type HTTP.
2. Configure the API by choosing method, endpoint, headers etc.

JSON Example

    {
      "name": "http_task",
      "taskReferenceName": "http_task_ref",
      "type": "HTTP",
      "inputParameters": {
        "http_request": {
          "uri": "https://orkes-api-tester.orkesconductor.com/api",
          "method": "POST",
          "connectionTimeOut": 3000,
          "readTimeOut": "3000",
          "accept": "application/json",
          "contentType": "application/json",
          "body": "${workflow.input.httpPayload}"
        }
      }
    }

Send a POST Request

    {
      "name": "http_post_example",
      "taskReferenceName": "post_example",
      "inputParameters": {
        "http_request": {
          "uri": "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/",
          "method": "POST",
          "body": {
            "title": "${get_example.output.response.body.title}",
            "userId": "${get_example.output.response.body.userId}",
            "action": "doSomething"
          }
        }
      },
      "type": "HTTP"
    }

Set Read and Connect Timeouts for HTTP requests

    {
      "name": "http_post_example",
      "taskReferenceName": "post_example",
      "inputParameters": {
        "http_request": {
          "uri": "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/",
          "method": "POST",
          "readTimeout": 60000,
          "connectionTimeout": 60000,
          "body": {
            "title": "${get_example.output.response.body.title}",
            "userId": "${get_example.output.response.body.userId}",
            "action": "doSomething"
          }
        }
      },
      "type": "HTTP"
    }

Using Async Complete

While defining workflow definitions, we have a parameter, “asyncComplete”. Setting this parameter to “true” ensures that the task can be completed asynchronously only.

Let’s have a look at an example workflow with “asynComplete:true”,

{
 "name": "async_complete_example",
 "description": "Edit or extend this sample workflow. Set the workflow name to get started",
 "version": 1,
 "tasks": [
   {
     "name": "http_task_85tf2",
     "taskReferenceName": "http_task_85tf2_ref",
     "inputParameters": {
       "http_request": {
         "uri": "https://orkes-api-tester.orkesconductor.com/api",
         "method": "GET",
         "connectionTimeOut": 3000,
         "readTimeOut": "3000",
         "accept": "application/json",
         "contentType": "application/json"
       }
     },
     "type": "HTTP",
     "asyncComplete": true
   }
 ],
 "schemaVersion": 2,
 "ownerEmail": "riza.farheen@orkes.io"
}

Now, let’s run this in the Playground.

Run in Orkes Playground

1. Under Workflow Name, choose async_complete_example.
2. Click Run Workflow.

On running this workflow, the HTTP task wouldn’t get completed; instead, it would be in a “Scheduled” state, i.e., the workflow is paused.

There are multiple ways to update the task status to complete.

Using API

Once the workflow is run, the workflowId will be generated. You can view the workflowId below the workflow name on the execution page.

By using the workflowId and the taskRefName, you can use the following API to complete the task.

POST /api/tasks/{workflowId}/{taskRefName}/{status}

Another method to update the task status is directly from the UI.

From Conductor UI

From the workflow execution page, click on the task and then update the status manually to “COMPLETED”.

So, using the above methods, you can asynchronously complete your workflow. This can be useful when you need to pause the workflow for external interventions.