Building a Rails Engine #12 -- Beyond CSV: JSON and API Sources

Beyond CSV: JSON and API Sources CSV is the king of data import -- but in the real world, data also arrives as JSON from a file, or directly from a third-party API. Here is how DataPorter extends its source architecture to absorb these new formats without breaking anything. Context This is part 12 of the series where we build DataPorter, a mountable Rails engine for data import workflows. In part 11, we built the install and target generators so adopting the gem requires a single command. Until now, DataPorter only reads CSV. That covers a lot of cases, but the real world is more varied. If every new format requires rearchitecting the engine, something went wrong. The Sources::Base abstraction we established in part 6 is about to prove its worth. Interactive Walkthrough → DataPorter Sources Architecture — Explaina Interactive explorer showing how one fetch contract powers CSV, JSON, and API sources — pick a source type and see the code. explaina.app Why multiple sources? An import engi