Database Backup (DBS) provides a console for visual operations and multiple methods for calling API operations, including OpenAPI Explorer and Alibaba Cloud SDKs. To improve development efficiency by using DBS, we recommend that you use appropriate API operations and integration methods based on your business requirements.
Overview of OpenAPI Explorer
Alibaba Cloud provides OpenAPI Explorer for developers to understand and use the API operations of various Alibaba Cloud services in a quick and efficient manner. OpenAPI Explorer integrates multiple features related to API operations, including intelligent search, documentation, online debugging, SDK download, sample code, error diagnosis, and call statistics. In OpenAPI Explorer, you can call the API operations of Alibaba Cloud services and view API requests and responses. In addition, OpenAPI Explorer automatically generates the corresponding SDK sample code to facilitate the use of Alibaba Cloud services. For more information, see What is an API?
Versions
OpenAPI Explorer manages the versions of the DBS API by version number. You can select the API version based on the features that you want to use.
2019-03-06 indicates a version number of the API rather than the date when the API was last updated. You are provided with the latest API data in each version.
API version | Description |
Provides features including backup task management, restore task management, and backup set download. For more information about the API operations that are supported by this version, see List of operations by function. | |
Provides features including sandbox instance management and advanced download of ApsaraDB RDS instances. For more information about the API operations that are supported by this version, see List of operations by function. |
Online debugging
DBS allows you to debug its API by using OpenAPI Explorer. Before you call API operations, take note of the following information provided by DBS: versions, endpoints, API styles, and integration methods.
Online debugging page
DBS supports two API versions, and each API version has its own online debugging page. Select an online debugging page based on the features that you want to use.
Endpoints
You can select an endpoint based on the region in which your resource resides to reduce latency. For example, if your DBS resides in the China (Zhangjiakou) region, the public endpoint is dbs-api.cn-zhangjiakou.aliyuncs.com, and the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) endpoint is dbs-api-vpc.cn-zhangjiakou.aliyuncs.com.
Public endpoints can be globally accessed.
Each VPC is identified by using a unique tunnel ID, which corresponds to a virtualized network. The following section describes the benefits of VPC endpoints:
Higher security: VPC endpoints can be accessed only within a VPC. This provides higher security and privacy.
Faster response: VPC endpoints use the internal network environment to deliver faster responses than those of public endpoints. In addition, by using VPC endpoints, you are free from issues such as network latency and bandwidth limits.
Lower cost: VPC endpoints are accessed over an internal network.
For more information, see Endpoints.
Supported user identities
After you log on to OpenAPI Explorer by using your Alibaba Cloud account, OpenAPI Explorer uses your Alibaba Cloud account to perform online debugging by default. An Alibaba Cloud account has permissions on all API operations. Security risks may arise if you use an Alibaba Cloud account to debug API operations online. We recommend that you call API operations or perform routine O&M as a Resource Access Management (RAM) user. Before you call API operations as a RAM user, grant the required permissions to the RAM user based on your business requirements. The RAM user must have the permissions to manage DBS. For more information, see RAM authorization.
Identity | Supported |
Yes | |
RAM user (recommended) | Yes |
RAM role (recommended) | Yes |
Integration methods
DBS provides multiple methods for calling API operations, such as Alibaba Cloud SDKs. You can select an integration method based on your business requirements.
SDKs can be easily integrated. We recommend that you use Alibaba Cloud SDKs to call API operations.
Integration method | Supported |
Alibaba Cloud SDKs | Yes |
Alibaba Cloud CLI | No |
Resource Orchestration Service (ROS) | No |
Terraform | No |
Custom encapsulation | Yes |
Alibaba Cloud SDKs
Alibaba Cloud provides SDKs in multiple programming languages, such as Java, C#, Go, Python, Node.js, TypeScript, PHP, and C++. SDKs free you from considering the implementation details of API operations, and standardize the identity, authentication, and signing rules. You need to only integrate SDKs and use the SDKs to directly call API operations. For more information about Alibaba Cloud SDKs, see Alibaba Cloud SDKs.
You can use Alibaba Cloud SDKs to call API operations of DBS. For more information, see SDK reference.
Custom encapsulation
You can encapsulate API requests based on your business requirements to call API operations. To make native HTTP calls, you must construct custom requests and sign the requests. For more information, see Request syntax and signature method V3.
Usage notes
If an error is returned after you call an API operation, you must check whether the request parameters and their values are valid based on the returned error code. For more information, see Database Backup - Error Codes.
You can also use Alibaba Cloud OpenAPI Diagnostics to perform self-service diagnostics based on the returned request ID or SDK error information.