HTTP requests and JSON parsing in Python

I want to dynamically query Google Maps through the Google Directions API. As an example, this request calculates the route from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA via two waypoints in Joplin, MO and Oklahoma City, OK:

http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?origin=Chicago,IL&destination=Los+Angeles,CA&waypoints=Joplin,MO|Oklahoma+City,OK&sensor=false

It returns a result in the JSON format.

How can I do this in Python? I want to send such a request, receive the result and parse it.

Solution 1:

I recommend using the awesome requests library:

import requests

url = 'http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json'

params = dict(
    origin='Chicago,IL',
    destination='Los+Angeles,CA',
    waypoints='Joplin,MO|Oklahoma+City,OK',
    sensor='false'
)

resp = requests.get(url=url, params=params)
data = resp.json() # Check the JSON Response Content documentation below

JSON Response Content: https://requests.readthedocs.io/en/master/user/quickstart/#json-response-content

Solution 2:

The requests Python module takes care of both retrieving JSON data and decoding it, due to its builtin JSON decoder. Here is an example taken from the module's documentation:

>>> import requests
>>> r = requests.get('https://github.com/timeline.json')
>>> r.json()
[{u'repository': {u'open_issues': 0, u'url': 'https://github.com/...

So there is no use of having to use some separate module for decoding JSON.