Best Practices¶

This guide outlines best practices for using TelcoAPI across different protocols and scenarios.

General Guidelines¶

Authentication¶

1. API Key Management

   // DON'T: Hardcode API keys
   const client = new TelcoAPI({ apiKey: 'abc123' });
   
   // DO: Use environment variables
   const client = new TelcoAPI({
     apiKey: process.env.TELCOAPI_KEY
   });
   

2. Key Rotation

3. Rotate API keys every 90 days
4. Use different keys for development and production
5. Implement graceful key rotation with overlap periods

Error Handling¶

1. Retry Strategy

   const retryConfig = {
     maxAttempts: 3,
     backoff: {
       initial: 1000,
       multiplier: 2,
       maxDelay: 10000
     }
   };
   
   async function withRetry(operation) {
     for (let attempt = 1; attempt <= retryConfig.maxAttempts; attempt++) {
       try {
         return await operation();
       } catch (error) {
         if (!isRetryable(error) || attempt === retryConfig.maxAttempts) {
           throw error;
         }
         await delay(getBackoffTime(attempt));
       }
     }
   }
   

2. Error Classification

   function isRetryable(error) {
     return [
       'NETWORK_ERROR',
       'RATE_LIMITED',
       'SERVER_ERROR'
     ].includes(error.code);
   }
   

Protocol-Specific Best Practices¶

SS7¶

1. Point Code Management

   // Configure primary and backup routes
   await client.ss7.configureRoutes([
     {
       destination: '1-1-1',
       linkset: 'primary',
       priority: 1
     },
     {
       destination: '1-1-1',
       linkset: 'backup',
       priority: 2
     }
   ]);
   

2. SCCP Global Title Translation

   // Implement hierarchical GTT
   await client.ss7.configureGTT([
     {
       selector: 0,
       gti: '0100',
       rules: [
         {
           prefix: '1234',
           translation: {
             pc: '2-2-2',
             ssn: 8
           }
         }
       ]
     }
   ]);
   

Diameter¶

1. Session Management

   // Implement session cleanup
   setInterval(async () => {
     await client.diameter.cleanupSessions({
       idleTimeout: 3600,
       force: false
     });
   }, 1800000); // Every 30 minutes
   

2. Load Balancing

   const peers = [
     { host: 'diameter1.example.com', weight: 2 },
     { host: 'diameter2.example.com', weight: 1 }
   ];
   
   await client.diameter.configurePeers(peers);
   

SIP¶

1. Media Handling

   // Configure optimal codecs
   const mediaConfig = {
     audio: {
       codecs: ['OPUS', 'G.711'],
       preferredCodec: 'OPUS',
       dtmfType: 'rtp-event'
     },
     video: {
       codecs: ['VP8', 'H.264'],
       preferredCodec: 'VP8',
       maxBitrate: 2000000
     }
   };
   

2. NAT Traversal

   const natConfig = {
     iceServers: [
       { urls: 'stun:stun.example.com' },
       {
         urls: 'turn:turn.example.com',
         username: 'user',
         credential: 'pass'
       }
     ],
     iceTransportPolicy: 'relay'
   };
   

IPX/GRx¶

1. QoS Monitoring

   // Set up QoS alerts
   client.ipx.on('qosViolation', async (violation) => {
     if (violation.severity === 'critical') {
       await switchToBackupPath();
       notifyOperations(violation);
     }
   });
   

2. Traffic Management

   const trafficPolicy = {
     rateLimit: {
       voice: 1000,    // calls per second
       data: '10Gbps'
     },
     overflow: {
       action: 'redirect',
       target: 'backup-ipx.example.com'
     }
   };
   

Security Best Practices¶

Network Security¶

1. IP Whitelisting

   const securityConfig = {
     allowedIPs: [
       '192.0.2.0/24',    // Office network
       '198.51.100.0/24'  // Data center
     ],
     defaultDeny: true
   };
   

2. TLS Configuration

   const tlsConfig = {
     minVersion: 'TLSv1.2',
     cipherSuites: [
       'TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384',
       'TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384'
     ],
     verifyPeer: true
   };
   

Message Validation¶

function validateMessage(msg) {
  // Check message structure
  if (!isValidStructure(msg)) {
    throw new Error('INVALID_MESSAGE_STRUCTURE');
  }

  // Sanitize content
  const sanitized = sanitizeMessage(msg);

  // Validate business rules
  if (!meetsBusinessRules(sanitized)) {
    throw new Error('BUSINESS_RULE_VIOLATION');
  }

  return sanitized;
}

Performance Optimization¶

Connection Pooling¶

const poolConfig = {
  min: 5,
  max: 20,
  idleTimeout: 60000,
  acquireTimeout: 30000
};

const pool = await client.createConnectionPool(poolConfig);

Caching¶

const cacheConfig = {
  ttl: 300,  // 5 minutes
  maxSize: 1000,
  updateAgeOnGet: true
};

const cache = new Cache(cacheConfig);

Monitoring and Logging¶

Metrics Collection¶

client.on('metrics', (metrics) => {
  // Record response times
  recordHistogram('response_time', metrics.duration);

  // Track success rates
  recordCounter('requests_total', 1, {
    status: metrics.success ? 'success' : 'failure'
  });
});

Structured Logging¶

const logger = {
  info: (message, context) => {
    console.log(JSON.stringify({
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      level: 'INFO',
      message,
      ...context
    }));
  },
  error: (message, error, context) => {
    console.error(JSON.stringify({
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      level: 'ERROR',
      message,
      error: error.stack,
      ...context
    }));
  }
};

Testing¶

Integration Testing¶

describe('SS7 Integration', () => {
  it('should handle TCAP messages', async () => {
    const message = createTestMessage();
    const response = await client.ss7.sendTCAP(message);
    expect(response.result).toBe('success');
  });
});

Load Testing¶

async function runLoadTest() {
  const metrics = {
    success: 0,
    failure: 0,
    latencies: []
  };

  for (let i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
    const start = Date.now();
    try {
      await client.ss7.sendTCAP(createTestMessage());
      metrics.success++;
      metrics.latencies.push(Date.now() - start);
    } catch (error) {
      metrics.failure++;
    }
  }

  return metrics;
}