Connect to Webflow Data in Ruby

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Connect to Webflow data in Ruby with ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc.

The CData API Driver for ODBC makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Webflow data in Ruby. This article shows how to create a simple Ruby app that connects to Webflow data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Create an ODBC Connection to Webflow Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Authentication

Webflow uses OAuth 2.0 authentication to ensure secure access to sites, CMS collections, e-commerce data, and other resources. This authentication method allows you to securely connect to your Webflow workspace and manage resources with proper authorization.

OAuth 2.0 Setup and Configuration

Step 1: Create a Webflow OAuth Application

To set up OAuth authentication:

  1. Visit the Webflow Developer Portal
  2. Navigate to "Apps & Integrations" in your Webflow account
  3. Click "Register an App" to create a new OAuth application
  4. Configure the application name, description, and redirect URI (CallbackURL)
  5. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret for use in your connection

Required Connection Properties

  • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth (required)
  • OAuthClientId: Client ID from your Webflow OAuth application (required)
  • OAuthClientSecret: Client secret from your Webflow OAuth application (required)
  • CallbackURL: Redirect URI specified in your OAuth application (required)
  • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH for automatic token management (recommended)

Required OAuth Scopes

The Webflow API Profile requires the following OAuth scopes:

  • sites:read - Read access to site information and configuration
  • pages:read - Read access to site pages
  • cms:read - Read access to CMS collections and items
  • forms:read - Read access to forms and form submissions
  • assets:read - Read access to media assets and folders
  • ecommerce:read - Read access to products, orders, and inventory
  • authorized_user:read - Read access to the authorized user

Installing Ruby and Necessary Gems

If you do not have Ruby installed, refer to the Ruby installation page. With Ruby installed, you will need to install the ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc gems:

gem install dbi
gem install dbd-odbc
gem install ruby-odbc

Create a Ruby App with Connectivity to Webflow Data

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

#connect to the DSN
require 'dbi'
cnxn = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:CData API Source','','')

#execute a SELECT query and store the result set
resultSet = cnxn.execute("SELECT ,  FROM Sites WHERE Id = 'your_site_id'")

#display the names of the columns
resultSet.column_names.each do |name|
  print name, "\t"
end
puts

#display the results
while row = resultSet.fetch do
  (0..resultSet.column_names.size - 1).each do |n|
    print row[n], "\t"
  end
  puts
end
resultSet.finish

#close the connection
cnxn.disconnect if cnxn

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

ruby APISelect.rb
Writing SQL-92 queries to Webflow allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Webflow data into your own Ruby applications. Download a free trial today!

Ready to get started?

Connect to live data from Webflow with the API Driver

Connect to Webflow