Flashcards for:
Introduction to Microservices and APIs

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) also known as microservices, provide lightweight services available via simple interfaces and protocols over the internet. They allow functions to be called remotely, similar to local function calls but executed on different machines, employing standard web protocols like HTTP for communication.

This Python code uses the `requests` library to send an HTTP GET request to OpenWeatherMap's API to fetch weather data for Sydney, AU. The response is in JSON format, which is parsed using `json.loads`, and the weather data is printed.

You would use the GET method to retrieve data from a server.

JSON ensures portability using a simple text format with key-value pairs, easily transportable and compatible with JavaScript. XML uses structured text formats and schemas, being language-independent and flexible, making it suitable for various systems and platforms.

In the context of microservices, 'internal use' refers to companies like Facebook and Twitter using microservices within their own systems to manage various functionalities internally.

Microservices are services invoked remotely over the internet, providing access to data and services without needing to host them locally. They are used for various tasks like message sending, text translation, streaming service searches, accessing COVID-19 data, airline timetables, geographic data, food nutrition data, weather data, etc.

Simple web servers like Bottle are not scalable for handling large numbers of clients, which makes them unsuitable for large-scale applications.

The primary HTTP methods used in APIs are GET and POST.

API Aggregators provide access to many microservices, making it easier to search and experiment with APIs. An example of an API aggregator is RapidAPI, which offers documentation and gateways to various APIs.

To parse a JSON response in Python, you can use the `json.loads()` function, which converts a JSON string into a Python dictionary or list.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a simple text format with key-value pairs, easy to transport over the internet and used in JavaScript for representing objects. XML (Extensible Markup Language) is more complex, can be extended using a schema, describes data structures in a structured text format, and is independent of programming languages.

The 'requests' library in Python is primarily used to send HTTP requests to interact with web services and APIs.

AWS Lambda and API Gateway are examples of scalable cloud solutions for microservices, providing scalable cloud functions.

In the Bottle framework, an endpoint is defined using decorators such as `@route('/add/<a:int>/<b:int>')`, and a function like `def add(a, b):` is used to handle the request and return results.

To build a microservice with Python using Bottle: 1. Install the Bottle module. 2. Define an endpoint using decorators. 3. Write a function to handle requests and return results in JSON format. 4. Run the Bottle server.