R and httr package: Troubleshooting 401 error when using RapidAPI

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1

Hey everyone! I’m stuck with a problem while trying to use the httr package in R to connect to RapidAPI. Here’s what I’ve done so far:

library(httr)
api_url <- "https://some-news-extractor.example-api.com/v0/article"
query_params <- list(url = "https://example-tech-news.com/some-article-about-tech")
api_response <- VERB("GET", api_url, 
                     add_headers(x_rapidapi_key = "my-secret-key", 
                                 x_rapidapi_host = "some-news-extractor.example-api.com"),
                     query = query_params, 
                     content_type("application/octet-stream"))
content(api_response, "text")

But I keep getting a 401 error. I’ve tried this with other APIs too, but no luck. Any ideas what I might be doing wrong? I’d really appreciate some help figuring this out. Thanks!

2

I’ve dealt with similar authentication issues when working with RapidAPI. One crucial aspect to consider is the API key’s format; some APIs require the key to be prefixed with 'Bearer ’ in the header. Try modifying your code like this:

api_response <- VERB('GET', api_url,
  add_headers(
    'Authorization' = paste('Bearer', 'your-api-key'),
    'X-RapidAPI-Host' = 'some-news-extractor.example-api.com'
  ),
  query = query_params
)

Additionally, ensure you’re using HTTPS for the API URL, as some APIs reject non-secure connections. If issues persist, consider using httr::GET() with verbose() to obtain detailed troubleshooting information.

3

hey dancingfox, sounds like ur having auth issues. have u double-checked ur api key? sometimes rapidapi needs a different header format. try using add_headers('X-RapidAPI-Key' = 'your-key', 'X-RapidAPI-Host' = 'your-host') instead. also, make sure ur subscribed to that specific api on rapidapi. hope this helps!

4

I’ve encountered similar issues with RapidAPI before. One thing that often gets overlooked is the Content-Type header. In my experience, most RapidAPI endpoints expect ‘application/json’ rather than ‘application/octet-stream’. Try modifying your code like this:

api_response <- VERB("GET", api_url, 
                     add_headers('X-RapidAPI-Key' = 'your-key',
                                 'X-RapidAPI-Host' = 'your-host',
                                 'Content-Type' = 'application/json'),
                     query = query_params)

Also, ensure your API key is active and has the necessary permissions for the specific endpoint you’re trying to access. If the problem persists, you might want to check the API documentation for any specific requirements or try using httr::GET() instead of VERB() for simplicity.