Weather API

Description

This project is a Weather API that fetches and returns weather data from a third-party API instead of relying on our own weather data. It helps me in understanding how to work with third-party APIs, caching mechanisms, and environment variables.

Preview

Features

• Fetches real-time weather data from a third-party API (e.g., OpenWeather API).
• Implements in-memory caching using Redis to store recent requests and reduce API calls.
• Uses environment variables to securely store sensitive information like API keys.
• Implements proper error handling for invalid requests and third-party API failures.
• Supports rate limiting to prevent abuse.
• Includes a GUI for user-friendly interaction.

Technologies Used

• Programming Language: Rust
• Third-party API: Open Weather API
• Caching: Redis
• HTTP Requests: Reqwest
• GUI: Egui
• Environment Variable Management: dotenv
• Rate Limiting: Custom implementation using Redis

Setup and Installation

Prerequisites

• Install Redis and start service
• Obtain an API key from Open Weather (or any chosen weather API)

Installation Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/cenixeriadev/WeatherAPI.git
   cd WeatherAPI

2. Install dependencies:

   cargo build

3. Set up environment variables: Create a .env file and add the following:

   API_KEY=your_openweather_api_key
   REDIS_URL=your_redis_connection_string

4. Start the application:

   cargo run

API Endpoints

Get Weather Data

• Endpoint: GET /weather/:city/:country_code
• Description: Fetches weather data for a given city and country code(Ex: US).
• Response:

  {
     "city": "New York",
     "temperature": "15°C",
     "humidity": 60,
     "pressure": 1013,
     "wind_speed": 5.0,
     "description": "Clear sky"
  }

Caching Strategy

• The city and country code entered by the user is used as the cache key.
• Weather data is stored in Redis with a 12-hour expiration time to avoid stale data.

Error Handling

• Handles invalid city and country codes and returns appropriate error messages.
• If the third-party API is down, returns a suitable fallback response.

Rate Limiting

• To prevent API abuse, a rate limiter is implemented using Redis.
• Allows a maximum of 15 requests per minute per city-country pair.

Road Map Project

• Link: https://roadmap.sh/projects/weather-api-wrapper-service

Author

• Anthony (GitHub: cenixeriadev)