Python with REST APIs

Python with REST APIs

Python with REST APIs is widely used for building, testing, and automating backend services. REST APIs allow applications to communicate over HTTP, and Python provides powerful libraries to interact with these APIs easily and efficiently.

---

What is a REST API?

A REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface) allows communication between a client and server using standard HTTP methods.

• GET – Retrieve data
• POST – Create new data
• PUT – Update existing data
• DELETE – Remove data

---

Why Use Python for REST APIs?

• Simple and readable syntax
• Powerful HTTP libraries
• Easy JSON handling
• Ideal for API testing and automation

---

Popular Python Libraries for REST APIs

• requests – Most popular HTTP client
• httpx – Modern async HTTP client
• Flask – Build REST APIs
• FastAPI – High-performance APIs

---

Installing Requests Library

Install the requests library using pip:

pip install requests

---

GET Request Example

The following example sends a GET request to retrieve user data from an API.

import requests

url = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users"
response = requests.get(url)

print(response.status_code)
print(response.json())

---

POST Request Example

A POST request is used to send data to the server.

import requests

url = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts"

payload = {
    "title": "API Testing",
    "body": "Learning Python REST APIs",
    "userId": 1
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload)

print(response.status_code)
print(response.json())

---

PUT Request Example

A PUT request updates existing data on the server.

import requests

url = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1"

payload = {
    "title": "Updated Title",
    "body": "Updated content",
    "userId": 1
}

response = requests.put(url, json=payload)

print(response.status_code)
print(response.json())

---

DELETE Request Example

A DELETE request removes data from the server.

import requests

url = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1"
response = requests.delete(url)

print(response.status_code)

---

Handling API Responses

Python makes it easy to validate API responses.

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Request Successful")
else:
    print("Request Failed")

---

Python for API Testing

Python is widely used for API testing along with frameworks like:

• PyTest
• Robot Framework
• Unittest

Assertions help verify API behavior:

assert response.status_code == 200
assert "title" in response.json()

---

Advantages of Python with REST APIs

• Simple and readable code
• Easy JSON parsing
• Perfect for backend testing
• Works well in CI/CD pipelines

---

Conclusion

Python with REST APIs is a must-have skill for modern testers and developers. With minimal code, Python can send requests, validate responses, and automate API testing efficiently.

If you are working in automation testing or backend development, learning Python REST API testing will significantly boost your skill set.