Sensei: Simplify API Client Generation π
Alexey
Posted on November 20, 2024
Sensei simplifies the process of creating API Clients by handling routing, data validation, and response mapping automatically. This reduces the complexity of HTTP requests, making it easier to integrate APIs into your projects without writing boilerplate code.
Sensei uses type hints to generate API clients, providing clear interfaces and robust validation for interacting with APIs. Its syntax is very similar to the framework FastAPI
- Documentation: https://sensei.crocofactory.dev
- Source Code: https://github.com/CrocoFactory/sensei
Code Example
from typing import Annotated
from sensei import Router, Path, APIModel
router = Router('https://pokeapi.co/api/v2/')
class Pokemon(APIModel):
name: str
id: int
height: int
weight: int
@router.get('/pokemon/{name}')
def get_pokemon(name: Annotated[str, Path(max_length=300)]) -> Pokemon:
pass
pokemon = get_pokemon(name="pikachu")
print(pokemon) # Pokemon(name='pikachu' id=25 height=4 weight=60)
Didn't it seem to you that the function doesn't contain the code? Sensei writes it instead of you! The result of the call get_pokemon(name="pikachu")
is the object Pokemon(name='pikachu' id=25 height=4 weight=60)
containing pokΓ©mon's data.
There is a wonderful OOP approach proposed by Sensei:
class User(APIModel):
email: EmailStr
id: PositiveInt
first_name: str
last_name: str
avatar: AnyHttpUrl
@classmethod
@router.get('/users')
def query(
cls,
page: Annotated[int, Query()] = 1,
per_page: Annotated[int, Query(le=7)] = 3
) -> list[Self]:
pass
@classmethod
@router.get('/users/{id_}')
def get(cls, id_: Annotated[int, Path(alias='id')]) -> Self:
pass
@router.post('/token')
def login(self) -> str:
pass
@login.prepare
def _login_in(self, args: Args) -> Args:
args.json_['email'] = self.email
return args
@login.finalize
def _login_out(self, response: Response) -> str:
return response.json()['token']
user = User.get(1)
user.login() # User(id=1, email="john@example.com", first_name="John", ...)
When Sensei doesn't know how to handle a request, you can do it yourself, using preprocessing as prepare
and postprocessing as finalize
Comparison
Sensei π: It provides a high level of abstraction. Sensei simplifies creating API wrappers, offering decorators for easy routing, data validation, and automatic mapping of API responses to models. This reduces boilerplate and improves code readability and maintainability.
Bare HTTP Client π: A bare HTTP client like requests
or httpx
requires manually managing requests, handling response parsing, data validation, and error handling. You have to write repetitive code for each endpoint.
Features
Sensei provides features that are useful for both standard and messy APIs:
- Validation π‘οΈ
- Rate Limiting Handling β³
- Automatic Handling of Return Types π
- DRY Architecture Without Duplications π§Ή
- Async Support β‘
- Case Conversion and Aliases π
- Own Client for Fast Requests π
Target Audience
Developers Working with APIs, Data Scientists and Analysts, etc.
Posted on November 20, 2024
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