Connect to ConvertKit Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for ConvertKit makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live ConvertKit data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to ConvertKit data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to ConvertKit Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for ConvertKit\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to ConvertKit and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the ConvertKit Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\ConvertKit.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for ConvertKit (see below).

ConvertKit API Profile Settings

Navigate to Account Settings > Advanced > API in your ConvertKit account to find both your API Key and API Secret.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the ConvertKit JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for ConvertKit:

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\ConvertKit.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key;APISecret=your_api_secret';

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to ConvertKit Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: APISelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for ConvertKit 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.api.jar'

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\ConvertKit.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key;APISecret=your_api_secret';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Name, PlanType FROM Accounts")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your ConvertKit data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S APISelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to ConvertKit allows you to quickly and easily incorporate ConvertKit data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!