Consuming Real-World Data via APIs

A hands-on practice repository for learning how to fetch live data using Python and APIs.

Overview

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a bridge between two applications. We use the Python requests library to "ask" a server for data, which usually comes back in JSON format (similar to Python dictionaries).

Key Concepts

Concept	Description
HTTP GET	Fetching/retrieving data from a server
HTTP POST	Sending data to a server
Status 200	Success - request completed
Status 404	Not Found - resource doesn't exist
Status 401	Unauthorized - API key missing/invalid
JSON	Data format that looks like Python dictionaries

Setup

# Install required library
pip install requests

# Or use requirements.txt
pip install -r requirements.txt

Practice Files (Progressive Difficulty)

File	Difficulty	Topic
part1_basic_request.py	Beginner	Simple GET request
part2_status_codes.py	Beginner+	Understanding response codes
part3_user_input.py	Intermediate	Dynamic queries with input()
part4_error_handling.py	Intermediate+	Robust error handling
part5_real_api.py	Advanced	Real-world API (Weather/Crypto)

How to Run

python part1_basic_request.py
python part2_status_codes.py
python part3_user_input.py
python part4_error_handling.py
python part5_real_api.py

Testing APIs Before Coding

Using cURL (Command Line)

# Test a simple API
curl https://nishigandhakhaire.github.io

# Test with headers
curl -H "Accept: application/json" https://nishigandhakhaire.github.io

Using Postman

1. Download Postman from https://nishigandhakhaire.github.io
2. Create a new GET request
3. Enter the API URL
4. Click "Send" and observe the JSON response
5. Check for 200 OK status

Free APIs Used (No API Key Required)

API	Description	Documentation
JSONPlaceholder	Fake REST API for testing	https://nishigandhakhaire.github.io
Open-Meteo	Weather data	https://nishigandhakhaire.github.io
CoinPaprika	Cryptocurrency data	https://nishigandhakhaire.github.io

Activity Submission Checklist

• Screenshot 1: Python code in VS Code
• Screenshot 2: Terminal output with live data
• Screenshot 3: Postman showing 200 OK status
• Screenshot 4: cURL command result

Caption Template

"Today I fetched live data for [Your Chosen Topic]! I learned how to handle GET requests in Python."

Resources

• Requests Library Documentation
• HTTP Status Codes
• JSON Format