api-integration.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <meta name="author" content="Matt Makai">
    <meta name="description" content="Integrating web APIs into an application is necessary for both mobile and web applications. Learn more about API integration on Full Stack Python.">
    <link rel="shortcut icon" href="theme/img/fsp-fav.png">
    <title>API Integration - Full Stack Python</title>
    <!--[if lt IE 9]>
      <script src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/libs/html5shiv/3.7.0/html5shiv.js"></script>
      <script src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/libs/respond.js/1.3.0/respond.min.js"></script>
    <![endif]-->
    <link href="theme/css/f.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
    <script>
  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
  })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
  ga('create', 'UA-19910497-7', 'auto');
  ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></head>
<body>
    <a href="https://github.com/makaimc/fullstackpython.com"><img style="position: absolute; top: 0; right: 0; border: 0;" src="https://camo.githubusercontent.com/a6677b08c955af8400f44c6298f40e7d19cc5b2d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f6769746875622f726962626f6e732f666f726b6d655f72696768745f677261795f3664366436642e706e67" alt="Fork me on GitHub" data-canonical-src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/github/ribbons/forkme_right_gray_6d6d6d.png"></a>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="row">
    <div class="col-md-12">
        <div class="logo-header-section">
            <a href="/" style="text-decoration: none; border: none;"><img src="theme/img/fsp-logo.png" height="52" width="52" class="logo-image" style="padding-top: 1px;" alt="Full Stack Python logo"></a>
            <span class="logo-title"><a href="/">Full Stack Python</a></span>
        </div>
    </div>
</div><div class="row">
    <div class="col-md-8">
          <h1>API Integration</h1>
<p>The majority of production Python web applications rely on several
externally hosted application programming interfaces (APIs). APIs are also
commonly referred to as third party services or external platforms. 
Examples include <a href="https://www.twilio.com/docs/">Twilio</a> for messaging and 
voice services, <a href="https://stripe.com/docs/api">Stripe</a> for payment processing 
and <a href="https://disqus.com/api/docs/">Disqus</a> for embedded webpage comments.</p>
<p>There are many articles about proper API design but best practices for 
integrating APIs is less commonly written about. However, this subject 
continuously grows in importance because APIs provide critical functionality
across many implementation areas.</p>
<h2>Hosted API testing services</h2>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.runscope.com/">Runscope</a> is a service specifically designed
  for APIs that assists developers with automated testing and traffic
  inspection.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://apiary.io/">Apiary</a> provides a blueprint for creating APIs so
  they are easier to test and generate clean documentation.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>API Integration Resources</h2>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Some developers prefer to use 
  <a href="http://docs.python-requests.org/en/latest/">Requests</a> instead of an API's 
  helper library. In that case check out this 
  <a href="http://engineering.hackerearth.com/2014/08/21/python-requests-module/">tutorial on using requests to access web APIs</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>There's a list of all government web APIs at 
  <a href="http://18f.github.io/API-All-the-X/">18F's API-All-the-X list</a>. The list
  is updated whenever a new API comes online.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If you use Requests check out this handy guide on gracefully
  <a href="http://www.mobify.com/blog/http-requests-are-hard/">handling HTTP errors with Python</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>John Sheehan's 
  "<a href="https://speakerdeck.com/johnsheehan/zen-and-the-art-of-api-maintenance">Zen and the Art of API Maintenance</a>"
  slides are relevant for API integration.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>This post on 
  "<a href="https://stormpath.com/blog/api-driven-development/">API Driven Development</a>"
  by Randall Degges explains how using APIs in your application cuts down
  on the amount of code you have to write and maintain so you can launch your
  application faster.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/SmartBear_Software/safe-sex-with-thirdparty-apis">Safe Sex with Third Party APIs</a>
  is a funny high level overview of what you should do to protect your 
  application when relying on third party services.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://migrateup.com/python-retry-patterns-for-http-apis/">API Retry Patterns</a>
  shows you how to build resiliency into calls to web APIs.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.coglib.com/~icordasc/blog/2014/12/retries-in-requests.html">Retries in Requests</a>
  is a nice tutorial for easily re-executing failed HTTP requests with the
  Requests library.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>My DjangoCon 2013 talk dove into 
  "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGP8DQIqxXs">Making Django Play Nice With Third Party Services</a>."</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If you're looking for a fun project that uses two web APIs within a 
  Django application, try out this tutorial to 
  <a href="https://www.twilio.com/blog/2014/11/build-your-own-pokedex-with-django-mms-and-pokeapi.html">Build your own Pokédex with Django, MMS and PokéAPI</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.brianthicks.com/2014/12/01/test-apis-properly-with-vcr-py/">vcr.py</a>
  is a way to capture and replay HTTP requests with mocks. It's extremely
  useful for testing API integrations.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://realpython.com/blog/python/caching-external-api-requests/">Caching external API requests</a>
  is a good post on how to potentially limit the number of HTTP calls 
  required when accessing an external web API via the Requests library.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>API integration learning checklist</h2>
<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>
Pick an API known for top notch documentation. Here's a list of 
<a href="https://medium.com/she-hacks-hacker-academy/4d3c43be9386">ten APIs that are a good starting point for beginners</a>.</p>
<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>
Read the API documentation for your chosen API. Figure out a simple use case
for how your application could be improved by using that API.</p>
<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>
Before you start writing any code, play around with the API through the 
commandline with <a href="http://curl.haxx.se/">curl</a> or in the browser with 
<a href="http://www.getpostman.com/">Postman</a>. This exercise will help you get a
better understanding of API authentication and the data required for requests
and responses.</p>
<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>
Evaluate whether to use a helper library or work with 
<a href="http://docs.python-requests.org/en/latest/">Requests</a>. Helper libraries are
usually easier to get started with while Requests gives you more control over
the HTTP calls.</p>
<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>
Move your API calls into a <a href="/task-queues.html">task queue</a> so they do not 
block the HTTP request-response cycle for your web application.</p>
<h3>What's next after integrating APIs into your app?</h3>
          <div class="row">
    <div class="col-md-4">
        <div class="well select-next">
            <a href="/api-creation.html" class="btn btn-success btn-full"><svg width="40" height="30" viewBox="0 0 1792 1792" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M384 1632l384-192v-314l-384 164v342zm-64-454l404-173-404-173-404 173zm1088 454l384-192v-314l-384 164v342zm-64-454l404-173-404-173-404 173zm-448-293l384-165v-266l-384 164v267zm-64-379l441-189-441-189-441 189zm1088 518v416q0 36-19 67t-52 47l-448 224q-25 14-57 14t-57-14l-448-224q-5-2-7-4-2 2-7 4l-448 224q-25 14-57 14t-57-14l-448-224q-33-16-52-47t-19-67v-416q0-38 21.5-70t56.5-48l434-186v-400q0-38 21.5-70t56.5-48l448-192q23-10 50-10t50 10l448 192q35 16 56.5 48t21.5 70v400l434 186q36 16 57 48t21 70z" fill="#fff"/></svg></a>
<p class="under-btn">How do I create an API for my web application?</p>        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="col-md-4">
        <div class="well select-next">
            <a href="/logging.html" class="btn btn-success btn-full"><svg width="28" height="30" viewBox="0 0 1792 1792" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M1792 1344v128q0 26-19 45t-45 19h-1664q-26 0-45-19t-19-45v-128q0-26 19-45t45-19h1664q26 0 45 19t19 45zm-384-384v128q0 26-19 45t-45 19h-1280q-26 0-45-19t-19-45v-128q0-26 19-45t45-19h1280q26 0 45 19t19 45zm256-384v128q0 26-19 45t-45 19h-1536q-26 0-45-19t-19-45v-128q0-26 19-45t45-19h1536q26 0 45 19t19 45zm-384-384v128q0 26-19 45t-45 19h-1152q-26 0-45-19t-19-45v-128q0-26 19-45t45-19h1152q26 0 45 19t19 45z" fill="#fff"/></svg></a>
<p class="under-btn">How do I log errors that occur in my application?</p>        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="col-md-4">
        <div class="well select-next">
            <a href="/web-application-security.html" class="btn btn-success btn-full"><svg width="28" height="30" viewBox="0 0 1792 1792" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M640 768h512v-192q0-106-75-181t-181-75-181 75-75 181v192zm832 96v576q0 40-28 68t-68 28h-960q-40 0-68-28t-28-68v-576q0-40 28-68t68-28h32v-192q0-184 132-316t316-132 316 132 132 316v192h32q40 0 68 28t28 68z" fill="#fff"/></svg></a>
<p class="under-btn">What can I do to mitigate security vulnerability in my web app?</p>        </div>
    </div>
</div>      <div id="mc_embed_signup">
<form action="//mattmakai.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=b7e774f0c4f05dcebbfee183d&amp;id=b22335388d" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" target="_blank" novalidate>
    <div id="mc_embed_signup_scroll">
        <h4>Sign up here to receive an email with major updates to this site and Python tutorials delivered to your inbox once a month.</h4>
        <div class="row">
            <div class="col-md-9">
                <input type="email" value="" name="EMAIL" class="email form-control" id="mce-EMAIL" placeholder="email address" required>
                <div style="position: absolute; left: -5000px;"><input type="text" name="b_b7e774f0c4f05dcebbfee183d_b22335388d" tabindex="-1" value=""></div>
            </div>
            <div class="col-md-3">
                <div class="clear"><input type="submit" value="Subscribe" name="subscribe" id="mc-embedded-subscribe" class="btn btn-success" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</form>
</div>
    </div>
    <div class="col-md-offset-1 col-md-3" id="sidebar">
    








  <div class="panel panel-success">
      <div class="panel-heading">
        <h3 class="panel-head"><a href="/table-of-contents.html" style="color: #fff;">Table of Contents</a></h3>
      </div>
      <div class="list-group">
                        <a href="/introduction.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Introduction</a>
                        <a href="/why-use-python.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Why Use Python?</a>
                        <a href="/best-python-resources.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Best Python Resources</a>
                        <a href="/best-python-videos.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Best Python Videos</a>
                        <a href="/development-environments.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Development Environments</a>
                        <a href="/vim.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Vim</a>
                        <a href="/emacs.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Emacs</a>
                        <a href="/generators.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Generators</a>
                        <a href="/comprehensions.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Comprehensions</a>
                        <a href="/web-frameworks.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Frameworks</a>
                        <a href="/django.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Django</a>
                        <a href="/flask.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Flask</a>
                        <a href="/bottle.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Bottle</a>
                        <a href="/pyramid.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Pyramid</a>
                        <a href="/morepath.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Morepath</a>
                        <a href="/other-web-frameworks.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Other Web Frameworks</a>
                        <a href="/web-design.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Design</a>
                        <a href="/cascading-style-sheets.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Cascading Style Sheets</a>
                        <a href="/javascript.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>JavaScript</a>
                        <a href="/websockets.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>WebSockets</a>
                        <a href="/web-application-security.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Application Security</a>
                        <a href="/databases.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Databases</a>
                        <a href="/no-sql-datastore.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>NoSQL Data Stores</a>
                        <a href="/application-programming-interfaces.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Application Programming Interfaces</a>
                        <a href="/api-integration.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item active" style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>API Integration</a>
                        <a href="/api-creation.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>API Creation</a>
                        <a href="/deployment.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Deployment</a>
                        <a href="/servers.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Servers</a>
                        <a href="/platform-as-a-service.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Platform-as-a-service</a>
                        <a href="/operating-systems.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Operating Systems</a>
                        <a href="/web-servers.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Servers</a>
                        <a href="/wsgi-servers.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>WSGI Servers</a>
                        <a href="/source-control.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Source Control</a>
                        <a href="/application-dependencies.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Application Dependencies</a>
                        <a href="/static-content.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Static Content</a>
                        <a href="/task-queues.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Task Queues</a>
                        <a href="/configuration-management.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Configuration Management</a>
                        <a href="/continuous-integration.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Continuous Integration</a>
                        <a href="/logging.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Logging</a>
                        <a href="/monitoring.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Monitoring</a>
                        <a href="/web-analytics.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Analytics</a>
                        <a href="/docker.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Docker</a>
                        <a href="/caching.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Caching</a>
                        <a href="/code-metrics.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Code Metrics</a>
                        <a href="/what-full-stack-means.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>What "Full Stack" Means</a>
                        <a href="/change-log.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Change Log</a>
                        <a href="/future-directions.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Future Directions</a>
                        <a href="/about-author.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>About the Author</a>
                </div>
  </div>
    <div class="panel panel-success">
      <div class="panel-heading"><h3 class="panel-head">API Integration</h3></div>
      <div class="panel-body">
                    Major updates are tweeted via
          <a href="https://twitter.com/fullstackpython">@fullstackpython</a>.
          <hr/>
          Need more detailed tutorials than you see here?
          <a href="/email.html">Sign up to receive an email when that content is created.</a>
                </div>
  </div>
</div></div>
        <hr/>
        <div class="footer pull-right">
            <a href="http://www.mattmakai.com/" class="underline">Matt Makai</a>
            2015
        </div>
    </div>
<script type='text/javascript'>
    var trackOutboundLink = function(url) { ga('send', 'event', 'outbound', 'click', url, {'hitCallback': function () { document.location = url; } }); }
</script>
</body>
</html>