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9.3 - Making API Requests

9.3.1 - How to Make GET and POST Requests Using Python​

To interact with APIs in Python, you can use the requests library to send GET and POST requests. Here’s how you can do it:

  • GET Request:

    import requests
    response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/resource')
    data = response.json()  # Process the JSON data received

  • POST Request:

    import requests
    payload = {'key': 'value'}
    response = requests.post('https://api.example.com/resource', data=payload)
    print(response.text)

9.3.2 - Handling Query Parameters and Headers​

Modify your requests to include query parameters or custom headers as follows:

  • Query Parameters:

    response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/search', params={'query': 'web'})

  • Headers:

    headers = {'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'}
    response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/secure', headers=headers)

9.3.3 - Understanding and Handling API Responses​

Handling API responses involves checking the status codes and parsing the data received:

  • Check Status Code:

    if response.status_code == 200:
        print("Success!")
    elif response.status_code == 404:
        print("Not Found.")

  • Parse JSON Response:

    data = response.json()
    print(data)