Trouble getting RapidAPI R code to function properly

Other Questions RapidAPI
1

I need help making RapidAPI work with R. I keep getting errors when trying to use their sample code.

The original code they show looks like this:

library(httr)

response <- GET(
  url = api_endpoint,
  config = list("x-rapidapi-key" = my_key,
                "x-rapidapi-host" = host_name,
                useQueryString = TRUE),
  date_param = "2020-01-15"
)

This fails because of the hyphen characters in the header names. I tried fixing it like this:

# Set up variables
api_key <- "my_secret_key"  # actual key stored elsewhere
base_url <- "https://finance-data.p.rapidapi.com/market/v2/get-prices"
output_format <- "json"

# Build request URL
full_url <- paste0(base_url,
                   "?ticker=AAPL",
                   "&x-rapidapi-host:", api_host,
                   "&x-rapidapi-key:", api_key,
                   "&format=", output_format)
                   
result <- httr::GET(full_url)

But I get a 401 unauthorized error even though my key works fine on the RapidAPI website.

I also tried this approach:

library(httr)

endpoint <- "https://finance-data.p.rapidapi.com/market/v2/get-prices"

params <- list(
  ticker = "AAPL",
  period = "1d"
)

api_call <- VERB("GET",
                endpoint,
                add_headers("x-rapidapi-host" = "finance-data.p.rapidapi.com",
                           "x-rapidapi-key" = "my_secret_key"),
                query = params,
                content_type("application/json"))
                
print(api_call)
print(content(api_call, "text"))

Still no luck. Anyone know what I’m doing wrong here?

2

had the same issue a bit ago. just use add_headers() alone and keep your headers separate from url params. httr should manage the hyphens fine on its own, so this might help with the 401 error you’re facing.

3

You’re probably mixing up headers and parameters. I had the same issue with RapidAPI - headers need to go in the headers section, not mixed with your query stuff.

Try this:

library(httr)

response <- GET(
  url = "https://finance-data.p.rapidapi.com/market/v2/get-prices",
  add_headers(
    "X-RapidAPI-Key" = "your_actual_key_here",
    "X-RapidAPI-Host" = "finance-data.p.rapidapi.com"
  ),
  query = list(
    ticker = "AAPL",
    period = "1d"
  )
)

Two things to check: I capitalized the X in those header names because some APIs throw fits about lowercase. Also double-check your endpoint URL matches exactly what RapidAPI shows - different finance providers use different URLs even on the same platform.

4

Your second attempt was the closest. The main problem is you’re mixing headers with URL parameters in your first fix - RapidAPI headers should never go in the URL itself. For httr, try GET() directly with add_headers() instead of VERB(). I had the same auth issues until I found my API key had trailing whitespace from copying it wrong. Double-check your key doesn’t have hidden characters and make sure you’re using the exact host value from RapidAPI’s docs. Also check your subscription status for that endpoint - some need paid plans even with valid keys.