The industry of any commodity is always changing and growing, that’s why it’s really hard to stay updated on the prices of every product we want to trade or invest in. However, it’s not impossible to achieve and it can be really effective to do it via an API.
What’s An API?
API is an abbreviation for application programming interface, and it refers to a notion that applies to anything from command-line tools to business Java programs to Ruby on Rails web projects. An API allows you to communicate with a distinct software component or resource programmatically.
To put it simply, an API provides a user response to a system and receives a response from the system. There are a few softwares that use them and give you the result the API brings back in JSON.
JSON, which stands for JavaScript Object Notation, is a standard for storing information in an orderly, easy-to-access format. In a word, it provides us with a human-readable set of data that we can access in a very rational manner.
So, where can you find a good API that uses JSON for commodities rates? Some of them are Commodities-API, Quandl, and Barchart. However, we will use the first one to show you how to get rates API.
What Is Commodities-API?
It’s a free API that provides real-time data of commodities such as sugar, wheat, and coffee, among many more.
Commodities-API data may be provided in any currency, with a precision of two decimal points, from a menu of over 170 options. You may also receive data updates every 60 seconds and make 100.000 API queries each month. To get the data, first, log in to the website, get an API key, and then choose the currency and commodity of interest. That’s all there is to it, and you are free to utilize the API any way you see appropriate.
Commodities-API gathers data from banks and stock exchanges and then uses it to provide you with the most dependable and secure data. Aside from that, this API employs bank-grade 256-bit SSL encryption, ensuring that your connection is always safe.
Currency and commodity prices are converted using the same API endpoints, and they may be used to convert any amount from one currency to another, any commodity to any commodity, and any currency to any currency.
How To Get The API
You have to enter www.commodities-API.com, log in and get your own API key. Then, you choose the commodity and currency you prefer and the website will provide you the information in JSON format and you can use it however you want.
And that’s it, you now have a free commodity rate API in your power and you can adapt it to any coding you desire.
Also published on Medium.