This was a great learning experience, so I've since begun to explore new APIs. If you like the format here, I'm continuing in the same vein on my blog - an overview of features, how to get authorized, and some code examples and thoughts after the fact. (links below)
It's getting too cold to do anything productive outside, and I've got a week-long holiday break coming up soon, so I think it's time for a little personal challenge. I've been kind of fascinated by APIs for awhile, the way the good ones manage to hide unknown complexity behind a wall of simplicity. In an ideal world anyway.
Before I started my current job, I wasn't completely sure what an API was. If you're in the same boat, consider how your car's dashboard hides the complexity of hundreds of sensors and electronics under the hood. You can GET the current speed or outside temperature, and SET the cruise control speed or radio station. It's an interface to a more complex system, so you don't have to sweat the details.
In a similar fashion, an API lets you GET data out of a system and POST data into it. I've been involved with writing an API, have used a number of them, and I've even written about them. But over the next 15 days I'll try to write about 15 different APIs - how to get started using them and hopefully some demos - and I'll make it all available on here as well as on my blog.
Download Postman so you can try these out yourself. Postman is a tool that allows you to make API calls without having to implement code in any particular language, and it's great for trying things out. Of course, if you want to do anything with the results of those API calls, then you'll need to pick a language to use them in.
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Day 01 (Dec 15) - Twitter API (blog)
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Day 02 (Dec 16) - Instagram API (blog)
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Day 03 (Dec 17) - Backblaze B2 Storage API (blog)
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Day 04 (Dec 19) - Dropbox API (blog)
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Day 06 (Dec 22) - Google Maps API (blog)
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Day 09 (Dec 26) - HubbleSite API (blog)
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Day 10 (Dec 27) - Trello API (blog)
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Day 11 (Dec 28) - ISS Notify (aka Notify Open) API (blog)
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Day 12 (Dec 29) - OpenWeatherMap API (blog)
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Day 13 (Dec 30) - US Census Bureau API (blog)
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Day 14 (Dec 31) - Penguin Random House API (blog)
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Day 15 (Jan 1) - IGDB (Internet Game Database) API (blog)
I wrote a couple one-off posts, what an API wrapper is and how to write one, as well as the many ways APIs can authorize access. Check them out if you'd like to know more about APIs in general.
Here's a list of other APIs I've written about too:
- Jan 22, 2018 - Accessing weather and climate data with the Planet OS API
- Jan 30, 2018 - Managing your books and shelves with the Google Books API
- Feb 06, 2018 - Generating random passwords, numbers and GUIDs with the PasswordRandom API
- Feb 07, 2018 - Managing your posts, tags, and users with the Ghost Blog API
- Jun 24, 2018 - Access yesterday's Internet with the Wayback Machine API
- Oct 12, 2018 - Querying Amazon's product details with the Amazon Product Advertising API