Tab Types

Request

All API requests on Coast can be configured to be mocked or live. Live requests interact directly with your API.

Mocked requests can be helpful when dealing with unreliable endpoints or for any security reasons. Even though a request can be mocked, Coast is equipped to maintain a live-like feeling by filling the responses with dynamic data.

Response

Connect any UI to an API response. Response tabs showcase how specific elements returned from your API can power what is viewed on-screen by a user. With Coast's code-block interactivity, you can explicitly link on-screen components to data in the JSON payload.

Processing

Use processing tabs to call out the complexities your API is handling in between tabs.

Processing tabs do not have their own associated UI. They will automatically inherit the UI on its precessing tab.

iFrame

Coast can handle any package bundled for the web. Use this tab to embed any JS/HTML/CSS combo, which may include SDKs powered by your API. iFrame tabs can also read and write to Coast's Local Database.

Webhooks

Coast can spin up a unique listener URL (or a fresh webhook URL) to receive streamed events and payloads on a per-demo basis. Webhooks can also be mocked on Coast, by simulating a slight delay before returning the streamed payload. Coast has built-in visualizations for webhooks, such as iPhone notification screens.

Live Monitor

Live monitor is the most versatile tab type on Coast. A live monitor tab is reactive in that it watches for API requests, webhooks, or any JSON payload to surface, along side a user interface.

Some example use cases:

Choose Your Own Adventure Demos
Let your users play around with the UI and check out which API calls match the stuff they're doing. For example, if they click on "See Recent Transactions," you can show them the exact API call that was used to get that list.

Webhook Orchestration
Using either live or mocked webhooks, show the proper ordering of events that will be fired and how to handle them.

Mocked Payloads
Conditionally stream data as needed using built-in dynamic functions like dates, state variables, and more.

Calls made Behind-the-scenes
Often times, a single user action will trigger a sequence of API requests that you want to show chained together. A live monitor tab let's you highlight this sequence of endpoints, alongside a relevant UI.

SDK Callbacks
Stash callbacks fired from an SDK and surface them immediately alongside it.

Design

Design tabs are interfaces without tied technical details. They exist to help you show your API working in the context of an end-to-end user experience.