Course Introduction

How to Setup a React Developer Environment with nvm

Intro & Dev Environment Setup

Module 1 Introduction

What is an API?

Okay, but what is a REST API?

What is Express? The Basics of the Node.js web framework

The Basics of Express Router - Requests and Responses

Getting Started with REST APIs & Express

Module 2 Introduction

Getting Started with the Spotify Developer Dashboard

Add nodemon to an Express App to Restart Node Automatically

What is OAuth and How Does it Work? [with examples]

How to Implement OAuth Flow in Express and Node.js

Authentication & Authorization with Spotify

Module 3 Introduction

How to Pass OAuth Tokens to a React App

Optimize React and Express.js code with npm concurrently

Setting Up a React Front-End

Module 4 Introduction

Using Local Storage to Persist Login State

How to Fetch Spotify API Data with Credentials with Axios

How to Setup and Scaffold React Router

Beginner's Guide to Styled Components in React [with examples]

Login State & Front-End Scaffolding

Module 5 Introduction

How to Build a Login Page in React

How to Build a Profile Page in React with Spotify API Data

How to Build a Spotify Top Artists & Top Tracks Page in React

How to Build a Spotify Playlists Page in React

How to Build a Spotify Individual Playlist Page in React

How to Build a React Loading Animation Component

Building & Styling the UI

Module 6 Introduction

How to Change Your React Favicon and Social Preview Images

How to Deploy React to Heroku With a Node.js Server

How to Add a README.md File to React

Deploying to the Internet

Wrapping Up What We’ve Learned

Course Wrap Up

node.js

express

axios

dotenv

Have you ever been curious to see what your Spotify data looks like? How a round-up of your listening habits gets compiled every year? Or even wanted to see metadata of your favorite tracks? Luckily, Spotify makes a ton of interesting data like this accessible via the Spotify API. For example, there is data available for every users’ [top tracks and artists](https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/web-api/reference/#endpoint-get-users-top-artists-and-tracks) of all time and [audio features](https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/web-api/reference/#endpoint-get-several-audio-features) like danceability and tempo for every single track.

## Why this course

If you're interested in accessing personalized Spotify data like we mentioned above, Spotify requires your app to be authorized. And to get authorization, you'll need to implement something called OAuth. This course will walk you through every step of the OAuth flow in a concise, easy to follow way. Unlike YouTube tutorials that only cover a few concepts and leave you with half-baked GitHub repositories, we'll cover everything from explaining what REST APIs are to implementing Spotify's OAuth flow to fetching data from the Spotify API in React hooks. Split into seven modules, each lesson includes clear, detailed explanations and complete code examples. By the end of the course, you'll have an app deployed to the internet that you can share with your friends and add to your portfolio.

## What we’ll build

**On the front end**, we’ll build out a professional, responsive user interface with [React](https://reactjs.org/), React Hooks, and the popular CSS-in-JS library, [Styled Components](https://styled-components.com/). We’ll pull in data from the Spotify API using modern ES6 [async/await](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/JavaScript/Asynchronous/Async_await) methods and display that data in an engaging way.

**On the back end**, we’ll learn the basics of [REST APIs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_state_transfer), [HTTP requests](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Methods), and [OAuth](https://oauth.net/). We'll lift the veil on how to [authorize an app with Spotify](https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/general/guides/authorization-guide/), and then build a Node server with the [Express framework](https://expressjs.com/) to handle our authentication requests. Finally, we’ll deploy our app to the internet using [Heroku](https://www.heroku.com/).

![Top Artists](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/build-a-spotify-connected-app/module_00/lesson_00.00/public/assets/screenshot-1.png)

![Top Tracks](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/build-a-spotify-connected-app/module_00/lesson_00.00/public/assets/screenshot-2.png)

![Playlist tracks sorted by tempo](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/build-a-spotify-connected-app/module_00/lesson_00.00/public/assets/screenshot-3.png)

Learn how to build a full stack web app to visualize personalized Spotify data with the help of Node.js, React, Styled Components, and the Spotify Web API.

Build a Spotify Connected App

Principles of REST APIs and how they relate to the Spotify API

How to implement the Spotify OAuth flow with JavaScript

How to use local storage to store auth tokens

How to fetch data from the Spotify API in a React app

How to handle async code with React hooks and async/await

How to efficiently style an app with Styled Components

How to deploy an app with a React front-end and Node.js back-end to Heroku

Usually, when people talk about third-party APIs like the Spotify API or the GitHub API, what they're talking about is a 

 is a set of rules that allow one piece of software to talk to another, then 

 is a standard set of rules that developers follow to create an API. These rules determine 

For an API to be considered RESTful, certain criteria must be met:

 The API should enable a client-server architecture made up of clients, servers, and resources, with requests managed through HTTP. When System A makes an HTTP request to a URL hosted by System B, System B's server should return a response.

 All requests should be independent of each other. It should be possible to make two or more HTTP requests in any order, with the same responses being received.

 The API should make data cacheable, to streamline client-server interactions.

 There should be a uniform interface between components so that information is transferred in a standard form.

 The requesting client doesn't need to know whether it’s communicating with the actual server, a proxy, or any other intermediary.

 The API allows executable code to be sent from the server to the client when requested, extending client functionality.

In simple terms, the client-server rule of RESTful APIs means that you should be able to receive a piece of data (also known as a 

Each of these URLs, also known as "endpoints", are part of what is called a 

, and the data you receive from the request is called a 

. The resources provided by these responses are usually in the form of JavaScript Object Notation

A RESTful request is composed of four parts:

All REST APIs have a base URL (also known as the "root" endpoint). For example, the base URL of Spotify's API is 

Additionally, each endpoint in a REST API has a 

 that determines the resource being requested.

https://api.spotify.com/v1/playlists/59ZbFPES4DQwEjBpWHzrtC

This endpoint on the Spotify API returns data for a playlist (the resource) based on the ID you provide (

 in the base URL is not part of the path. It's a common convention for APIs to add a version indicator like 

 to their base URL so that if there are breaking or major changes in the future, a new 

. Query parameters give you the option to modify your request with key-value pairs. They always come after the main URL you're requesting and begin with a question mark (

). Each key-value pair is specified with an equal sign (

) and each parameter pair is separated with an ampersand (

https://some-api.com?query1=value1&query2=value2

---
title: Okay, but what is a REST API?
description: Learn the basics of REST principles and HTTP requests & responses
privateVideoUrl: https://fullstack.wistia.com/medias/yk5g2bzrbk
isPublicLesson: true
---

Usually, when people talk about third-party APIs like the Spotify API or the GitHub API, what they're talking about is a **REST API**.

REST stands for **Representational State Transfer**.

:::important

If an **API** is a set of rules that allow one piece of software to talk to another, then **REST** is a standard set of rules that developers follow to create an API. These rules determine _what the API looks like_.

:::

For an API to be considered RESTful, certain criteria must be met:

**Client-Server.** The API should enable a client-server architecture made up of clients, servers, and resources, with requests managed through HTTP. When System A makes an HTTP request to a URL hosted by System B, System B's server should return a response.

**Stateless.** All requests should be independent of each other. It should be possible to make two or more HTTP requests in any order, with the same responses being received.

**Cacheable.** The API should make data cacheable, to streamline client-server interactions.

**Uniform Interface.** There should be a uniform interface between components so that information is transferred in a standard form.

**Layered.** The requesting client doesn't need to know whether it’s communicating with the actual server, a proxy, or any other intermediary.

**Code-on-demand.** The API allows executable code to be sent from the server to the client when requested, extending client functionality.

## RESTful Requests

In simple terms, the client-server rule of RESTful APIs means that you should be able to receive a piece of data (also known as a **resource**) when you access a predefined URL.

Each of these URLs, also known as "endpoints", are part of what is called a **request**, and the data you receive from the request is called a **response**. The resources provided by these responses are usually in the form of JavaScript Object Notation[(JSON)](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/JavaScript/Objects/JSON).

A RESTful request is composed of four parts:

1.  the endpoint URL
2.  the HTTP method
3.  the HTTP headers
4.  the body data

### 1. The endpoint

The "endpoint" is the URL you request.

All REST APIs have a base URL (also known as the "root" endpoint). For example, the base URL of Spotify's API is `https://api.spotify.com` while the base URL of GitHub's API is `https://api.github.com`.

Additionally, each endpoint in a REST API has a **path** that determines the resource being requested.

In the example endpoint below, `https://api.spotify.com/v1` is the base URL and `/playlists/59ZbFPES4DQwEjBpWHzrtC` is the path to a particular playlist.

```text
https://api.spotify.com/v1/playlists/59ZbFPES4DQwEjBpWHzrtC
```

This endpoint on the Spotify API returns data for a playlist (the resource) based on the ID you provide (`59ZbFPES4DQwEjBpWHzrtC` in this case).

> Note that the `/v1` in the base URL is not part of the path. It's a common convention for APIs to add a version indicator like `/v1` to their base URL so that if there are breaking or major changes in the future, a new `/v2` base URL can be created, leaving `/v1` available for use.

Some endpoints also support **query parameters**. Query parameters give you the option to modify your request with key-value pairs. They always come after the main URL you're requesting and begin with a question mark (`?`). Each key-value pair is specified with an equal sign (`=`) and each parameter pair is separated with an ampersand (`&`), like this:

```text
https://some-api.com?query1=value1&query2=value2
```

Query parameter values can sometimes be a list of things. In these cases, it's common to use comma-separated lists.

Learn the basics of REST principles and HTTP requests & responses

Learn

The newline Guide to Building Your First GraphQL Server with Node and TypeScript

Teach

Amelia Wattenberger

Author of Fullstack D3

Community

Build a Spotify Connected App

Module 1: Intro & Dev Environment Setup

Introduction:

Start Here

Introduction: (6:46)

Course Introduction

Lesson 1: (6:19)

How to Setup a React Developer Environment with nvm

Module 2: Getting Started with REST APIs & Express

Introduction: (1:04)

Module 1 Introduction

Lesson 1: (4:09)

What is an API?

Lesson 2: (9:38)

Okay, but what is a REST API?

Lesson 3: (3:57)

What is Express? The Basics of the Node.js web framework

Lesson 4: (5:27)

The Basics of Express Router - Requests and Responses

Module 3: Authentication & Authorization with Spotify

Introduction: (0:55)

Module 2 Introduction

Lesson 1: (3:16)

Getting Started with the Spotify Developer Dashboard

Lesson 2: (2:54)

Add nodemon to an Express App to Restart Node Automatically

Lesson 3: (8:56)

What is OAuth and How Does it Work? [with examples]

Lesson 4: (20:00)

How to Implement OAuth Flow in Express and Node.js

Module 4: Setting Up a React Front-End

Introduction: (0:57)

Module 3 Introduction

Lesson 1: (7:59)

How to Pass OAuth Tokens to a React App

Lesson 2: (6:32)

Optimize React and Express.js code with npm concurrently

Module 5: Login State & Front-End Scaffolding

Introduction: (1:18)

Module 4 Introduction

Lesson 1: (13:10)

Using Local Storage to Persist Login State

Lesson 2: (7:11)

How to Fetch Spotify API Data with Credentials with Axios

Lesson 3: (4:18)

How to Setup and Scaffold React Router

Lesson 4: (14:43)

Beginner's Guide to Styled Components in React [with examples]

Module 6: Building & Styling the UI

Introduction: (1:12)

Module 5 Introduction

Lesson 1: (2:03)

How to Build a Login Page in React

Lesson 2: (24:33)

How to Build a Profile Page in React with Spotify API Data

Lesson 3: (14:59)

How to Build a Spotify Top Artists & Top Tracks Page in React

Lesson 4: (11:11)

How to Build a Spotify Playlists Page in React

Lesson 5: (16:50)

How to Build a Spotify Individual Playlist Page in React

Lesson 6: (3:49)

How to Build a React Loading Animation Component

Module 7: Deploying to the Internet

Introduction: (0:39)

Module 6 Introduction

Lesson 1: (5:52)

How to Change Your React Favicon and Social Preview Images

Lesson 2: (12:36)

How to Deploy React to Heroku With a Node.js Server

Lesson 3: (1:43)

How to Add a README.md File to React

Module 8: Course Wrap Up

Lesson 1: (1:59)