Part 2: Automating BookStack Content with Secure API Calls
Building on Part 1 where we discussed secure API access via Cloudflare Zero Trust and generic automation scripts, this part dives into technical automation for BookStack.
The goal: programmatically create books and assign them to shelves while keeping operations idempotent — running the script multiple times won’t create duplicates or overwrite existing content.
Setup Overview:
- Configuration File (
complete_books.json): Defines book names, descriptions, and target shelf IDs. - Bash Script: Uses
curlfor API calls,jqfor JSON parsing, Cloudflare Access headers, and BookStack API tokens for authentication. - Temporary Storage: Two temp files store book IDs and shelf assignments to ensure accurate updates.
Workflow Steps:
- Validation:
- Fetch all shelves and books from BookStack.
- Exit with error if API calls fail, ensuring safe execution.
- Book Creation:
- For each book in the JSON file:
- Check if it already exists.
- If missing, create the book and capture its ID.
- Log success or errors for transparency.
- For each book in the JSON file:
- Shelf Assignment:
- Group books by shelf ID.
- Merge new books with existing shelf content, removing duplicates.
- Update each shelf via the API with the consolidated list.
- Cleanup:
- Temporary files are removed to keep the environment tidy.
Execution:
- Make the script executable:
chmod +x automate_books.sh - Ensure JSON and credentials are correctly set.
- Run:
./automate_books.sh
Key Benefits:
- Secure: Uses Cloudflare Zero Trust + API tokens for safe automation.
- Idempotent: No duplicates, safe for repeated runs.
- Scalable: Easily add new books in the JSON file without changing the script.
- Auditable: Logs creation and update operations for traceability.
This approach complements the concepts from Part 1 and provides a practical, technical framework to automate and manage BookStack content efficiently.