APIs allow your Node.js app to connect with external services. You can pull data, send requests, and extend your project without building everything from scratch. Learning API integration is a skill every developer needs.

1. Set Up Your Node.js Project

• Install Node.js and npm.
• Create a new project folder.
• Run npm init -y to set up a package.json.
• Install dependencies like axios or node-fetch for HTTP requests.

Example:

npm install axios

2. Make a Simple API Request

Using Axios:

const axios = require('axios');

axios.get('https://api.example.com/data')
  .then(response => {
    console.log(response.data);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error(error);
  });

This fetches data from the API and logs it.

3. Work With API Keys

Some APIs require authentication. Store your API key securely. Use environment variables instead of hardcoding keys.

Example with .env:

API_KEY=your_api_key

In code:

require('dotenv').config();
const axios = require('axios');

axios.get(`https://api.example.com/data?key=${process.env.API_KEY}`)
  .then(res => console.log(res.data))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

4. Handle Errors and Timeouts

• Always use try-catch with async/await.
• Set timeouts to avoid hanging requests.
• Log errors for debugging.

Example:

async function fetchData() {
  try {
    const res = await axios.get('https://api.example.com/data', { timeout: 5000 });
    console.log(res.data);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Request failed:", err.message);
  }
}
fetchData();

5. Use APIs in Routes

In an Express app, you can integrate APIs into your routes.

const express = require('express');
const axios = require('axios');
const app = express();

app.get('/weather', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const response = await axios.get(`https://api.weather.com/current?key=${process.env.API_KEY}`);
    res.json(response.data);
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(500).json({ error: "Failed to fetch weather data" });
  }
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'));

6. Best Practices

• Secure keys with environment variables.
• Respect API rate limits.
• Cache frequent requests to reduce API calls.
• Use async/await for cleaner code.