Using APIs in Python

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are crucial in the world of software development. They serve as the backbone for communication between different software applications. This article explores how to interact with a simple API using Python. We'll use a dummy server set up using JSON-Server, a package that allows you to create a fake API for testing and development purposes.

Setting Up the Dummy Server

Before diving into Python code, let's set up our dummy server. JSON-Server provides a full fake REST API with zero coding in less than a minute(not literally). Here's how you can set it up:

Requirements

• Node.js

• NPM (Node Package Manager)

Steps

1. Install JSON-Server: Run npm install -g json-server to install JSON-Server globally.

2. Create a db.json File: This file will be a database for your dummy API.

   
    {
    "marvelstars": [
      {
          "id": 3,
          "rating": 10,
          "name": "Natasha Romanoff",
          "stagename": "Black Widow",
          "powers": "Expert martial artist, marksmanship, and hand-to-hand combat. Skilled spy and master of espionage."
        },
        {
          "id": 18,
          "rating": 9,
          "name": "Diana Prince",
          "stagename": "Wonder Woman",
          "powers": "Superhuman strength, agility, and durability. Wields the Lasso of Truth and indestructible bracelets."
        },
    ]
    }
   

3. Start the Server: Use the following script to start your JSON-Server.

   
    const jsonServer = require('json-server')
    const cors = require('cors')
    const path = require('path')
    const server = jsonServer.create()
    const router = jsonServer.router(path.join(__dirname, 'db.json'))
    const middlewares = jsonServer.defaults()
    server.use(cors())
    server.use(jsonServer.bodyParser)
    server.use(middlewares)
    server.use(router)
    const PORT = 8000
    server.listen(PORT, () => {
      console.log(`JSON Server is running on http://localhost:${PORT}`)
    })
   

Interacting with the API using Python

With its simplicity and readability, Python is an excellent choice for API interaction. We'll use the requests library, which is a simple HTTP library for Python.

Installation

First, ensure you have the requests library installed:

pip install requests

Performing CRUD Operations

1. Read Operation (GET request)

if response.status_code == 200:
    marvelstars = response.json()
    print("Fetched Marvel Stars:")
    for star in marvelstars:
        print(star)
else:
    print(f"Failed to fetch data. Status code: {response.status_code}")

2. Create Operation (POST request)

# Add a new Marvel star (POST request)
new_star = {
    "id": 73,
    "rating": 1,
    "name": "Ngugu Wa Thiongo",
    "stagename": "Thanos",
    "powers": "Snaps and annoys people"
}
response = requests.post(api_url, json=new_star)
if response.status_code == 201:
    print("New Marvel Star added successfully.")
else:
    print(f"Failed to add new Marvel Star. Status code: {response.status_code}")

3. Update Operation (PUT request)

# Edit an existing Marvel star (PUT request)
updated_star = {
      "id": 3,
      "rating": 10,
      "name": "Natasha Romanoff",
      "stagename": "Black Widow",
      "powers": "Expert martial artist, marksmanship, and hand-to-hand combat. Skilled spy and master of espionage."
    }
response = requests.put(api_url + "/3", json=updated_star)
if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Marvel Star updated successfully.")
else:
    print(f"Failed to update Marvel Star. Status code: {response.status_code}")

4. Delete Operation (DELETE request)

# Delete a Marvel star by ID (DELETE request)
star_id_to_delete = 23
response = requests.delete(f"{api_url}/{star_id_to_delete}")
if response.status_code == 200:
    print(f"Marvel Star with ID {star_id_to_delete} deleted successfully.")
else:
    print(f"Failed to delete Marvel Star by ID. Status code: {response.status_code}")

Conclusion

Using Python to interact with APIs is straightforward and efficient. By following these steps, you can set up a dummy server with JSON-Server and use Python's requests library to perform various CRUD operations. This forms a foundational skill for any developer looking to integrate different software applications or services.