Batch Requests

ReqSmith supports efficient batch processing of multiple API requests, enabling you to execute hundreds or thousands of requests with optimal performance, error handling, and result aggregation.

What are Batch Requests?

Batch requests allow you to:

Execute multiple requests: Run many API calls in sequence or parallel
Process datasets: Apply API operations to large datasets
Load testing: Send high-volume requests to test API performance
Data migration: Bulk operations for data synchronization
Automated workflows: Chain multiple API operations together

Basic Batch Operations

Simple Batch Execution

Execute the same request with different parameters:

# Batch requests with parameter variation
reqsmith batch \
  --template github-user \
  --params username=octocat,torvalds,gaearon \
  --parallel 3

# Batch with parameter file
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file users.csv \
  --parallel 5

Parameter Files

Create parameter files for batch operations:

# users.csv
username,repo
octocat,Hello-World
torvalds,linux
gaearon,redux

// users.json
[
  {"username": "octocat", "repo": "Hello-World"},
  {"username": "torvalds", "repo": "linux"},
  {"username": "gaearon", "repo": "redux"}
]

# users.yaml
- username: octocat
  repo: Hello-World
- username: torvalds
  repo: linux
- username: gaearon
  repo: redux

Batch Configuration

Concurrency Control

Configure parallel execution:

# Set number of parallel requests
reqsmith batch --parallel 10 --template user-api --params-file data.csv

# Set concurrency based on system resources
reqsmith batch --auto-parallel --template user-api --params-file data.csv

# Limit by rate (requests per second)
reqsmith batch --rate-limit 5 --template user-api --params-file data.csv

# Combine limits
reqsmith batch \
  --parallel 8 \
  --rate-limit 10 \
  --template user-api \
  --params-file data.csv

Retry Configuration

Handle failures with retry logic:

# Enable retries
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --retry-attempts 3 \
  --retry-delay 1000 \
  --retry-exponential

# Retry only specific errors
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --retry-on-status 429,500,502,503,504

# Custom retry strategy
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --retry-strategy "exponential" \
  --retry-max-delay 30000

Timeout Settings

Configure timeouts for batch operations:

# Set request timeout
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --timeout 30000

# Set total batch timeout
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --batch-timeout 3600000

# Connection timeout
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --connect-timeout 5000

Advanced Batch Features

Conditional Execution

Execute requests based on conditions:

# Skip requests based on previous results
reqsmith batch \
  --template user-check \
  --params-file users.csv \
  --skip-if "status != 200" \
  --continue-on-error

# Execute only if condition met
reqsmith batch \
  --template user-update \
  --params-file users.csv \
  --execute-if "response.active == true"

Result Filtering

Filter and process results:

# Filter successful responses only
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --filter-success

# Extract specific fields from responses
reqsmith batch \
  --template user-api \
  --params-file users.csv \
  --extract "id,name,email" \
  --output results.csv

# Custom result processing
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --transform "response.data" \
  --output processed.json

Progress Monitoring

Monitor batch execution progress:

# Show progress bar
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --progress

# Detailed progress with statistics
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --progress-detailed

# Save progress to file
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --progress-file progress.log

Batch Templates

Creating Batch Templates

Design templates optimized for batch processing:

# batch-user-template.yaml
name: batch-user-operations
description: Batch operations for user management
batch:
  enabled: true
  parallel: 5
  retry_attempts: 3
  rate_limit: 10

requests:
  - name: get-user
    method: GET
    url: "https://api.example.com/users/{{user_id}}"
    batch:
      required_params: ["user_id"]
      skip_if: "user_id == null"
    
  - name: update-user
    method: PUT
    url: "https://api.example.com/users/{{user_id}}"
    headers:
      Content-Type: application/json
    body: |
      {
        "name": "{{name}}",
        "email": "{{email}}"
      }
    batch:
      required_params: ["user_id", "name", "email"]
      execute_if: "get-user.status == 200"

Batch-Specific Features

Use batch-specific template features:

# Advanced batch template
name: data-processing-batch
description: Process large datasets efficiently

batch:
  enabled: true
  chunk_size: 100          # Process in chunks
  parallel_chunks: 3       # Parallel chunk processing
  pause_between_chunks: 1000  # Pause between chunks (ms)
  
requests:
  - name: process-item
    method: POST
    url: "https://api.example.com/process"
    body: "{{item}}"
    batch:
      aggregate_results: true
      error_handling: "continue"
      timeout: 30000

Result Aggregation

Collecting Results

Aggregate results from batch operations:

# Collect all results in single file
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --output-format json \
  --output batch-results.json

# Separate successful and failed results
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --output-success success.json \
  --output-errors errors.json

# Statistical summary
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --statistics \
  --summary summary.txt

Result Formats

Support for multiple output formats:

# JSON format (default)
reqsmith batch --output results.json

# CSV format for tabular data
reqsmith batch --output results.csv --format csv

# Excel format with multiple sheets
reqsmith batch --output results.xlsx --format excel

# XML format
reqsmith batch --output results.xml --format xml

# Custom format with template
reqsmith batch --output results.html --format-template report.html

Result Processing

Process results during or after batch execution:

# Real-time result processing
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --process-results \
  --processor "validate_response"

# Post-processing with custom script
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --output raw-results.json \
  --post-process "python process_results.py"

Performance Optimization

Resource Management

Optimize resource usage for large batches:

# Memory optimization for large datasets
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file large-data.csv \
  --memory-efficient \
  --chunk-size 1000 \
  --stream-results

# CPU optimization
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --parallel-auto \
  --cpu-limit 80

# Network optimization
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --connection-pool 20 \
  --keep-alive \
  --compression

Caching for Batches

Leverage caching for repeated operations:

# Enable caching for batch operations
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --cache-enabled \
  --cache-ttl 3600

# Cache-first strategy for read operations
reqsmith batch \
  --template get-users \
  --params-file users.csv \
  --cache-strategy cache-first

# Warm cache before batch execution
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --warm-cache \
  --cache-preload 100

Error Handling

Error Strategies

Different approaches to handling errors:

# Stop on first error (default)
reqsmith batch --template api-endpoint --params-file data.csv --stop-on-error

# Continue on errors
reqsmith batch --template api-endpoint --params-file data.csv --continue-on-error

# Fail-fast for critical errors only
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --fail-fast-on 401,403 \
  --continue-on 429,500

# Custom error handling
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --error-handler "custom_handler.py"

Error Recovery

Recover from failures:

# Resume failed batch from checkpoint
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --resume-from checkpoint.json

# Retry failed items only
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --retry-failed errors.json

# Partial execution with exclusions
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --exclude-params failed-params.csv

Error Analysis

Analyze batch errors:

# Generate error report
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --error-report errors-report.html

# Error statistics
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --error-stats

# Error patterns analysis
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --analyze-errors

Batch Monitoring

Real-time Monitoring

Monitor batch execution in real-time:

# Live dashboard
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --monitor-live

# Progress with metrics
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --progress-metrics \
  --refresh-interval 5000

# Web-based monitoring
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --web-monitor \
  --monitor-port 8080

Metrics and Logging

Collect detailed metrics:

# Enable detailed metrics
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --metrics-enabled \
  --metrics-file metrics.json

# Performance profiling
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --profile \
  --profile-output profile.html

# Custom logging
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --log-level debug \
  --log-file batch.log

Distributed Batch Processing

Multi-node Execution

Scale batch processing across multiple machines:

# Distribute batch across nodes
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --distributed \
  --nodes "node1:8080,node2:8080,node3:8080"

# Worker node configuration
reqsmith batch-worker \
  --port 8080 \
  --capacity 10 \
  --resource-limit "cpu:80,memory:70"

# Coordinator setup
reqsmith batch-coordinator \
  --port 9090 \
  --workers "worker1:8080,worker2:8080"

Cloud Integration

Use cloud services for large-scale batches:

# AWS Batch integration
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --aws-batch \
  --job-queue "reqsmith-batch" \
  --job-definition "reqsmith-job"

# Kubernetes job
reqsmith batch \
  --template api-endpoint \
  --params-file data.csv \
  --kubernetes \
  --namespace "reqsmith" \
  --replicas 5

Batch Examples

Load Testing

Use batches for load testing:

# Stress test API endpoint
reqsmith batch \
  --template load-test \
  --repeat 1000 \
  --parallel 50 \
  --rate-limit 100 \
  --metrics-enabled

# Gradual load increase
reqsmith batch \
  --template load-test \
  --ramp-up \
  --start-rate 1 \
  --end-rate 100 \
  --duration 300

Data Migration

Migrate data between systems:

# Export data from source API
reqsmith batch \
  --template export-users \
  --params-file user-ids.csv \
  --output exported-users.json

# Import data to target API
reqsmith batch \
  --template import-users \
  --params-file exported-users.json \
  --parallel 5 \
  --retry-attempts 3

Monitoring and Health Checks

Batch health checks across services:

# Health check all services
reqsmith batch \
  --template health-check \
  --params-file services.csv \
  --parallel 10 \
  --output health-status.json

# Scheduled monitoring
reqsmith batch \
  --template monitor-endpoints \
  --params-file endpoints.csv \
  --schedule "*/5 * * * *" \
  --alert-on-failure

Command Reference

Core Batch Commands

# Basic batch execution
reqsmith batch [options]

# Batch with template
reqsmith batch --template TEMPLATE [options]

# Batch with parameters
reqsmith batch --params-file FILE [options]

# Resume batch execution
reqsmith batch --resume CHECKPOINT [options]

# Batch worker node
reqsmith batch-worker [options]

# Batch coordinator
reqsmith batch-coordinator [options]

Batch Options

# Execution control
--parallel N                    # Number of parallel requests
--rate-limit N                  # Requests per second limit
--timeout N                     # Request timeout (ms)
--batch-timeout N               # Total batch timeout (ms)

# Data sources
--params-file FILE              # Parameter file (CSV, JSON, YAML)
--params LIST                   # Inline parameters
--repeat N                      # Repeat same request N times

# Error handling
--retry-attempts N              # Number of retry attempts
--retry-delay N                 # Delay between retries (ms)
--continue-on-error             # Don't stop on errors
--stop-on-error                 # Stop on first error (default)

# Output control
--output FILE                   # Output file
--format FORMAT                 # Output format (json, csv, excel)
--output-success FILE           # Successful results file
--output-errors FILE            # Error results file

# Monitoring
--progress                      # Show progress bar
--metrics-enabled               # Collect metrics
--log-level LEVEL               # Logging level
--monitor-live                  # Live monitoring dashboard

# Performance
--memory-efficient              # Memory optimization
--chunk-size N                  # Process in chunks
--cache-enabled                 # Enable caching
--connection-pool N             # Connection pool size

# Advanced
--distributed                   # Distributed execution
--resume-from FILE              # Resume from checkpoint
--filter-success                # Filter successful responses only
--extract FIELDS                # Extract specific fields

Best Practices

Start small: Test with small batches before scaling up
Monitor resources: Watch CPU, memory, and network usage
Use appropriate concurrency: Don't overwhelm target APIs
Implement retry logic: Handle temporary failures gracefully
Cache repeated requests: Use caching for identical requests
Process in chunks: Break large datasets into manageable chunks
Monitor progress: Use progress tracking for long-running batches
Handle errors gracefully: Plan for partial failures
Respect rate limits: Follow API rate limiting guidelines
Clean up resources: Properly close connections and free memory

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Out of memory: Use memory-efficient mode and chunking
Rate limiting: Reduce concurrency and add delays
Connection errors: Increase connection pool and retry attempts
Timeout errors: Increase timeout values
Partial failures: Use continue-on-error and retry failed items

Debug Batch Operations

# Enable debug logging
reqsmith batch --log-level debug --template api-endpoint --params-file data.csv

# Dry run mode
reqsmith batch --dry-run --template api-endpoint --params-file data.csv

# Validate parameters
reqsmith batch --validate-only --template api-endpoint --params-file data.csv

# Performance profiling
reqsmith batch --profile --template api-endpoint --params-file data.csv

Next Steps

Learn about GraphQL for batch GraphQL operations
Explore Authentication for batch requests with auth
Check out Troubleshooting for batch debugging
See Examples for batch testing workflows

What are Batch Requests?​

Basic Batch Operations​

Simple Batch Execution​

Parameter Files​

Batch Configuration​

Concurrency Control​

Retry Configuration​

Timeout Settings​

Advanced Batch Features​

Conditional Execution​

Result Filtering​

Progress Monitoring​

Batch Templates​

Creating Batch Templates​

Batch-Specific Features​

Result Aggregation​

Collecting Results​

Result Formats​

Result Processing​

Performance Optimization​

Resource Management​

Caching for Batches​

Error Handling​

Error Strategies​

Error Recovery​

Error Analysis​

Batch Monitoring​

Real-time Monitoring​

Metrics and Logging​

Distributed Batch Processing​

Multi-node Execution​

Cloud Integration​

Batch Examples​

Load Testing​

Data Migration​

Monitoring and Health Checks​

Command Reference​

Core Batch Commands​

Batch Options​

Best Practices​

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Debug Batch Operations​

Next Steps​