API Request Tracing

API audit trail and debugging made simple

Introduction

Attestr assigns a unique request tracing Id to every API request made on the platform. This makes it possible for Attestr to keep track of each client's usage, as well as to uncover potential platform bugs and troubleshoot customer problems.

Generate and Access Request Tracing ID

Request Tracing ID is automatically generated on each API request made to the platform. This ID is formatted as a long hexadecimal string, which is then included in the response headers, as per the format defined below.

{

  ......

  'xattestrid': '85c66edb-be2e-4e21-93f4-84c1f19bb0f5',

  ......

}

To access the Request Tracing ID on Postman, switch to Headers Tab in the response section as shown below and look for xattestrid to get the corresponding value.

Storing Tracing ID

While storing the Tracing ID in database is optional, it is generally a good practise to store for the following two reasons.

1. For reporting issues to Attestr
2. For report generating and invoice reconciliation

Tracing ID can either be stored in a persistent storage like database or in a temporary storage such as log files. Attestr recommends storing tracing ID in persistent storage.

Using Tracing ID For Reporting Issues

Attestr maintains a 30 day rolling log of all API requests made to the platform which includes key metadata about the request. This includes information such as request tracing ID, Org ID, request timestamp, time taken to process the request, associated error stack trace and other important parameters needed to understand and analyse the API behaviour.

While reporting issues to Attestr, it is mandatory to quote the tracing ID for a Root cause analysis (RCA).

Using Tracing ID to track usage

Attestr offers easy to download transaction reports in CSV format using the dashboard. The transaction log thus downloaded contains the Request Tracing ID as one of the column values which can be used to track the usage over a period of time. In order to download a report, login to Attestr Dashboard and select Reports from the left navigation menu as shown in the image below.

Here is a sample transaction log report file for reference.