WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:05.920 Consuming public APIs In today's connected world, 00:05.920 --> 00:11.040 many applications rely on public APIs to access and share information. 00:11.040 --> 00:14.720 A public API is an interface made available by a service. 00:14.720 --> 00:20.800 For example, open weather map or Google Maps that allows developers to retrieve or send data. 00:23.520 --> 00:25.200 Imagine you're building a weather app. 00:25.840 --> 00:28.480 Instead of storing global weather data yourself, 00:28.480 --> 00:32.560 you can use the open weather map API to get real-time information directly. 00:33.360 --> 00:37.360 To use a public API, developers read the API documentation, 00:37.360 --> 00:41.360 which explains the endpoints, parameters, and how to authenticate requests. 00:42.880 --> 00:49.680 In short, public APIs make it possible to access data and services from other platforms safely and efficiently. 00:51.120 --> 00:55.920 Some APIs are open to everyone, but many require authentication to keep data secure. 00:55.920 --> 01:03.040 When an API requires authentication, you'll often need to register and obtain an API key, 01:03.040 --> 01:06.080 a unique code that identifies you as a user. 01:06.080 --> 01:10.320 Think of an API key as a digital access card. 01:10.320 --> 01:14.000 It lets you in, but also keeps track of how you use the data. 01:14.000 --> 01:20.800 It's important to store API keys securely, never hard-coding them directly into public repositories, 01:20.800 --> 01:22.160 or code shared online. 01:22.800 --> 01:26.240 This helps protect both your account and the data you access. 01:26.240 --> 01:31.600 So, before using an API, always check if you need a key and follow the instructions to keep it safe. 01:35.840 --> 01:39.680 Once you have access, you can make requests to the API to get data. 01:40.480 --> 01:45.520 Most APIs use HTTP methods like Get to retrieve data. 01:46.800 --> 01:49.200 Post to send or update data. 01:49.920 --> 01:53.360 In programming, you can use different libraries to make these requests. 01:54.320 --> 02:01.200 In Java, developers use HTTP URL connection, or OK HTTP. 02:02.320 --> 02:05.440 In Python, the request module is most common. 02:06.080 --> 02:09.200 This short code retrieves the current weather description for London. 02:13.840 --> 02:17.840 When working with APIs, it's important to check if your request was successful. 02:18.640 --> 02:20.640 Every response comes with the status code. 02:21.440 --> 02:22.800 200 means success. 02:23.360 --> 02:25.760 400 means not found. 02:26.480 --> 02:29.280 And 500 indicates a server error. 02:30.640 --> 02:33.360 Always handle these responses gracefully. 02:33.360 --> 02:36.560 For example, showing a friendly message instead of crashing the app. 02:38.160 --> 02:40.720 Timeouts or connection issues can also happen, 02:40.720 --> 02:43.040 so your code should handle errors carefully. 02:43.520 --> 02:47.680 From checking weather and navigation to reading online news, 02:48.480 --> 02:50.640 APIs make all of this possible. 02:50.640 --> 02:57.520 By learning how to consume public APIs, use API keys, make requests, and handle errors, 02:57.520 --> 03:02.640 you're taking the first step toward becoming a confident developer in today's data driven world.