Server side only application to access FitBit WEB API directly?

[levye]

Hi,

I would like to monitor a couple of users and collect a couple of metric from them and save to my own database. All this will happen on the server side. So server side will access WEB API and fetch data and then save to Database. Basically, I dont need a Fitbit application running on the device.

1- Is it possible? (reasonable?)

2-How I can authenticate the user if my application is fully server side? As they need to give permission if I will access their data anyway? How it will be possible with the server-side app?

3-I want to register an application but it also asks me "Application Website" So I won't have an application website to download the app as it will be server side. So nothing to download. What should I enter there?

So I am a bit confused

Any idea?

Thanks 

[Gordon-C]

Hi @levye,

Can you tell more a little more about your project and more information about your application?  How are you determining the couple of users for collecting metrics?  

Gordon

[levye]

Hi,

It will be a prototype for a research in a hospital to monitor patients remotely. 

So let's say we will choose 10 patients and we will provide FitBit devices to them before going home.

So we will already know which users we will be following. They will wear FitBit device and while they are home, we would like to collect their data daily using Web API and store relevant information to our central database. So I want our server to access WebAPI to fetch data and store its Database. 

For such a design, how I can implement authentication? 

Even for such an approach, still, do I need to create a device or companion app just for authentication? 

I think still I am not clear about the architecture behind it.

Thanks 

[Gordon-C]

Hi @levye

My apologies for the delay.  The Web APIs are used for retrieving data that has been sync'd with the Fitbit servers.  The Device SDK, which contains the Device, Companion and Settings APIs, are used for building applications on a Fitbit OS device (Ionic/Versa).

To retrieve Fitbit user's data through the Web APIs, the Fitbit user needs to authorize your server application with their Fitbit account.  If you have a web application your participants use to sign-up for your research study, make the Fitbit OAuth process part of the registering.  The user will then be prompted to log into their Fitbit account and select which data points they want to share with your application/research study.

Would that work for you?

[levye]

Hi ,

Thank you very much for your answer. 

The thing is for research, we will be providing the devices to patients so we can register the devices for one admin user (let's say doctor or me) and he can perform all authorization for patient devices upfront even before providing to the patients. Is this a valid scenario? 

Do FitBit policies for us to include each patient to authorize/authenticate their own data with the application?

Thanks  

[Gordon-C]

Try familiarizing yourself with the Platform Terms of Server, https://dev.fitbit.com/legal/platform-terms-of-service/.  Whether or not you provide the devices to the patients for the research study, the patients need the ability to consent to the metrics they want to share with your application, and have the ability to opt out.