jebinshaju/exoplanet-galaxy-name-api

This Flask application serves random exoplanet and galaxy names using data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive and Wikipedia's list of galaxies.

Exoplanet Galaxy Name API

The Exoplanet Galaxy Name API is a Flask-based API designed to provide random details about exoplanets and galaxies. Exoplanet information is scraped from Exoplanet Kyoto, while galaxy information is sourced from NASA's Images API.

Overview

This API offers a simple way to retrieve random details about exoplanets and galaxies. The information is fetched from reputable sources and stored in JSON files for efficient retrieval.

Usage

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/jebinshaju/exoplanet-galaxy-name-api.git
   cd exoplanet-galaxy-name-api

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the API:

   python app.py

   The API will be running on http://127.0.0.1:5000/.

Endpoints

https://apiexoplanet.azurewebsites.net/endpoints

• Method: GET
• Description: Returns a random item from either the exoplanets or galaxies list.
• Details:
  • Items are not repeated in the first 20 requests.
  • The API internally maintains a list of recently returned items to ensure uniqueness.

/shuffle

• Method: GET
• Description: Returns details of a randomly selected exoplanet or galaxy. The selection is not repeated in the first 20 calls to maintain variety.
• Response:

  {
    "name": "Planet X",
    "description": "A fascinating exoplanet with...",
    "image_url": "https://example.com/planet_x.jpg",
    // Other details specific to exoplanets or galaxies
  }

/exoplanets

• Method: GET
• Description: Returns the entire list of exoplanets.
• Response:

  {
    "data": [
      {
        "name": "Planet A",
        "description": "A description of Planet A...",
        "image_url": "https://example.com/planet_a.jpg",
        // Other details specific to exoplanets
      },
      // ... more exoplanets
    ]
  }

/galaxies

• Method: GET
• Description: Returns the entire list of galaxies.
• Response:

  {
    "data": [
      {
        "title": "Galaxy B",
        "nasa_id": "PIA12345",
        "date_created": "2022-01-01T00:00:00Z",
        "short_description": "A short description of Galaxy B...",
        "description": "A detailed description of Galaxy B...",
        "image_url": "https://example.com/galaxy_b.jpg"
      },
      // ... more galaxies
    ]
  }

Project Structure

• app.py: Flask application defining API endpoints.
• exoplanettojson.py: Script to fetch and save exoplanet data to exoplanets.json.
• galaxiestojson.py: Script to fetch and save galaxy data to galaxies_data.json.
• exoplanets.json: JSON file containing exoplanet details.
• galaxies_data.json: JSON file containing galaxy details.

How the API Works

1. Upon starting the Flask application (app.py), it loads pre-existing exoplanet and galaxy data from the respective JSON files (exoplanets.json and galaxies_data.json).

2. The /shuffle endpoint is designed to provide a random item, ensuring that the same item is not repeated in the first 20 requests. This is achieved by maintaining a deque (recent_items) that stores the recently returned items.

3. When a request is made to /shuffle, the API randomly selects whether to provide exoplanet or galaxy details, retrieves a random item from the chosen category, checks if it's in the recent items list, and repeats the process until a unique item is found.

Acknowledgments

• Exoplanet data: Exoplanet Kyoto
• Galaxy data: NASA's Images API

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.