APIs are a fundamental part of the web, and there are countless APIs providing access to all kinds of data for web applications.
The best way to learn web development and coding, in general, is by building projects to apply your knowledge. Today web applications are centered around the APIs they consume. Moreover, on the enterprise level, APIs are often designed before creating applications for different platforms.
Therefore, learning how to interact with APIs, send requests, handle their response, and manage errors are critical aspects of web development's learning curve. Before moving further, let's revise our concepts about APIs.
API
The Application Programming Interface (API) is like a middle man, connecting two sides; a waiter takes your order and brings you food. It is a channel that applications utilize to talk with each other. You put some information at one end, and the API takes that information and gets back with a result.
An API lets one application use the capabilities of another system. This means that if you want to build an e-commerce application, you can concentrate on building only your product. You can use the API of different applications for payments, billings, authentication, etc.
Projects
This guide will cover some exciting Web projects that use APIs, and every project includes a demo and a how-to guide. You can use these project ideas to improve your skills and showcase them in your developer portfolio.
This guide will present ten excellent web apps that use different APIs for data fetching. These examples use APIs to make applications that serve real use-cases. Every app has a detailed guide that demonstrates how to build it, which will help you get started right away.
RapidAPI Hub
All these examples use APIs from RapidAPI Hub, the largest API marketplace which enables you to choose from thousands of public APIs for use in your projects.
1. Real Estate App
In this project, we used the Realty API, which provides updated data regarding real estate in the United States. So, the web application will allow users to search for the properties available for sale in the United States.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
2. Screenshot Generator
In this project, we used the Website Screenshot API, which offers fast screenshot generation. So, the web application will allow its users to get an automated screenshot of a given URL.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
3. Food Recipe App
In this project, we used the Spoonacular API, which is one of the most popular food APIs and provides data about thousands of recipes and ingredients. So, the web application will allow users to search for food recipes according to different parameters like diet, ingredients, etc.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
4. Streaming Availability Checker
The content offered by streaming services varies from region to region. Sometimes it gets frustrating when the content you are looking for is not available on your streaming platform. In this project, we used the OTT Details API to build a web application that will show the availability of movies or TV shows across streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
5. Crypto News App
Today, APIs exist that provide all kinds of Cryptocurrency data, including their latest news. In this project, we used the Investing - Cryptocurrency Markets API to build a web application that will display the latest news related to Cryptocurrency.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
6. Email Validator
Have you ever wondered how organizations check Email IDs to see if they are valid or not? In this project, we will build an application around this use case using the Email Check API. The app will take an email and provide us with information about its validity.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
7. Domain Search
In this project, we used the NameAuditor WHOIS API, which provides WHOIS data about domains. So, the web application will allow users to search web domains and check information like their availability.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
8. Song Lyrics Finder
In this project, we used the Genius - Song Lyrics API to create a web app that allows users to get the lyrics of any song track they are looking for
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
9. Text Sentiment Analysis App
In this project, we used the AI-powered Text Analysis API, which analyses a text for its emotions. The web application lets the user know how their text sounds, whether positive, negative, or neutral?
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.
10. Movie Details App
This project uses the IMDb API to create a Next.js web application that shows the details of a movie like its runtime, the year it was released, poster, etc., to the user.
You can also try the live application and find its source code on the RapidAPI Examples Repository GitHub.