Python Lesson 24: Web Requests with Python

Now put it all together: use the requests library to call real APIs from Python. This is one of the most useful skills in Python programming.

Install the requests Library

# Run this in Terminal or Command Prompt:
# pip install requests

# Then import it in your Python file:
import requests

Making Your First API Call

import requests

# Call a free API - get a random cat fact
response = requests.get("https://catfact.ninja/fact")

# Check if it worked
print(response.status_code)  # 200 = success

# Get the JSON data
data = response.json()        # auto-parses JSON!
print(data["fact"])           # prints the cat fact

Working with Responses

import requests

url = "https://api.agify.io"
params = {"name": "Alice"}  # query parameters

response = requests.get(url, params=params)

# Response attributes
print(response.status_code)   # 200
print(response.url)           # full URL with params
print(response.text)          # raw text response

data = response.json()
print(data)                   # {"name":"Alice","age":30,...}

Error Handling for API Calls

import requests

def fetch_joke():
    try:
        url = "https://official-joke-api.appspot.com/random_joke"
        response = requests.get(url, timeout=5)  # 5 second timeout
        response.raise_for_status()  # raises error for 4xx/5xx
        
        joke = response.json()
        print(f"Setup: {joke['setup']}")
        print(f"Punchline: {joke['punchline']}")
    
    except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError:
        print("No internet connection!")
    except requests.exceptions.Timeout:
        print("Request timed out!")
    except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
        print(f"HTTP Error: {e}")

fetch_joke()

Real Project: Weather App

import requests

def get_weather(city):
    # wttr.in is a free weather API - no key needed!
    url = f"https://wttr.in/{city}?format=j1"
    
    try:
        response = requests.get(url, timeout=5)
        data = response.json()
        
        current = data["current_condition"][0]
        temp_c = current["temp_C"]
        feels_like = current["FeelsLikeC"]
        description = current["weatherDesc"][0]["value"]
        
        print(f"Weather in {city}:")
        print(f"Temperature: {temp_c}C (feels like {feels_like}C)")
        print(f"Conditions: {description}")
    
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Could not get weather: {e}")

city = input("Enter a city: ")
get_weather(city)