How to retrieve and store information from RapidAPI endpoint

Other Questions RapidAPI
1

I’m working on a JavaScript project where I need to fetch information from a RapidAPI service. My goal is to get the data daily and use it throughout my application. Here’s what I have so far:

const request = require("unirest");

const apiCall = request("GET", "https://weather-api.p.rapidapi.com/current/location");

apiCall.query({
    "date": "2023-05-15",
    "location": "London"
});

apiCall.headers({
    "x-rapidapi-key": "abc123def456ghi789jkl012mno345pqr678stu901vwx234yz",
    "x-rapidapi-host": "weather-api.p.rapidapi.com",
    "useQueryString": true
});

apiCall.end(function (response) {
    if (response.error) throw new Error(response.error);
    
    console.log(response.body);
});

The problem is that when I try to access the response data outside of the callback function, it shows as undefined. I want to store this data and use it in other parts of my code. What’s the best way to handle this situation?

2

You’re hitting a classic async JavaScript problem. Your callback runs after the main code finishes, so the data isn’t there when you need it. I’ve run into this tons of times. Don’t try accessing data outside the callback - work with the async flow instead. Wrap your API call in a Promise or use async/await. You could also cache the data with a global variable that stores it once it loads. For daily fetching, set up a scheduled function that updates your stored data regularly. This keeps your data fresh and dodges the timing issues you’re dealing with.

3

Had the same problem building a dashboard with multiple RapidAPI endpoints. Your console.log runs before the API response comes back - that’s the issue. I fixed it by wrapping the unirest call in a Promise. Just create a helper function that returns a new Promise and resolves with the response data in your callback. For daily storage, I set up basic caching with a JSON file (or localStorage if you’re client-side). Added a timer that refreshes the cache every 24 hours, and the app checks for cached data before hitting the API. Cut my API calls way down and kept everything accessible.

4

yeah totally agree! switch to async/await - itll make everything way clearer. just wrap your fetch in an async function and you can return the data wherever you need it. hope that helps!