I've been trying to use Zoopla's property search API a few days now. First day I used the API, it was straight forward. I registered for a new key, and could do requests via the documentation. Starting yesterday, all the requests I would do would always return a 403 response with the body <h1>Developer Inactive</h1>.
I tried creating a new API key but the problem is still the same. Is anyone using the API that can share some knowledge about it? Seems to be deprecated, but I cannot understand how I was getting results from it without issues for a single day.
https://developer.zoopla.co.uk/docs/Property_listings
Ive just hit the exact same issue, trying to create an app using the API, worked great on the first day, but since coming back to my project today it no longer works!
It appears the API is dead and no longer maintained - https://medium.com/#mariomenti/how-not-to-run-an-api-looking-at-you-zoopla-bda247e27d15
Very frustrating.
The API is in the process of getting shut down and moved to a new solution.
When signing up to the API, it does not tell you this, which is strange.
When you sign up, the API key will die after 24 hours. However, if you email help#zoopla.co.uk with your email address and API key, they will reinstate the API access.
Related
I have generated a Google Map API Key using Google console and currently that has 'None' restriction. It works fine and I am able to consume Google Places API without any problem. I am using Ionic framework and my application is purely based on HTML and AngularJS (JavaScript).
Now as my key works as expected for some duration, it stops working all of a sudden after sometime. Google service returns 'UNKNOWN ERROR' as response for all calls. To resolve this I need to generate another key and without code changes everything works fine. I have used URL https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=AIzaSyDgM6rXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXTA68vY5g&callback=&libraries=places and pasted it in browser and copied the content of the generated JavaScript in a file and referring it locally. Also FYI, I don't have any server side code with me.
Now I have precisely 2 questions.
Do I need to change my Google API key every week to keep it active? Or once the restriction is set to 'Android' or 'HTTPS' then the key will work as long as I want?
If I publish my app in Android store is it safe to place the Google API Key in app files (JavaScript or HTML)? Is there a better way of doing it? Google best practices says we should keep it outside root, but then how should I do it?
You might not have billing enabled on your project.
Without billing enabled you only get 1,000 free requests per 24 hour period (calculated as the sum of client-side and server-side requests).
After you enable billing you get up to 150,000 requests per 24 hour period free of charge.
It might be slightly confusing that JS API Places library usage counts against the Places API limit, but that is the case: the daily usage is calculated as the sum of client-side and server-side requests combined.
I've been working with website that uses geocode lookups via Google. I've been testing this for awhile now.
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address=1600+Pennsylvania+Ave+NW,+Washington,+DC&key=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I've got that key locked to particular servers. All of a sudden I'm seeing geocode lookup errors. The response back from Google is:
{
error_message: "Browser API keys cannot have referer restrictions when used with this API.",
results: [ ],
status: "REQUEST_DENIED"
}
When I try a simple request without the API key at all it seems to work fine. Here you can try this yourself. Copy and paste the next line in your browser's URL and return.
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address=1600+Pennsylvania+Ave+NW,+Washington,+DC
Now, I probably shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but the whole thing seems odd. If I remove my API keys today, will my websites, that rely on an address to Lat/Lng conversion, all fail tomorrow?
Is anybody else experiencing odd failures with Google Maps and GeoCode lookups? Is anyone aware of a systemic content or policy change from the Google mapping / GeoCoding team??
Edit, update:
So this defect lasted about 40 minutes, from around 9:10PM PST until a bit before 10PM PST. It seems to be fixed now.
Response to comment: Hmmm. I've been looking at the API keys as:
Server keys: Create and use a Server key if your application runs on a
server. Do not use this key outside of your server code. For example,
do not embed it in a web page. To prevent quota theft, restrict your
key so that requests are only allowed from your servers' source IP
addresses.
Browser keys: Create and use a Browser key if your application runs on
a client, such as a web browser. To prevent your key from being used
on unauthorized sites, only allow referrals from domains you
administer.
I'm definitely doing this complete lookup from user directly to Google without a server in the middle. No way can I safely use a Server key there. So I've read your input, and it definitely says Server key for geocoding. But, that really implies that no one should ever allow a browser / client interaction to process a geocode lookup. Frankly I just assumed the writeup was out of date and a bit inaccurate.
While you may be right, the whole thing just looks odd. I would have thought that if Geocode required a lookup from a server (only) and never from a web application via the browser (ever) that there would have been some direct comment as to that effect.
Oh, and the browser keys, with server fencing, seem to be working again. Again, I'm just saying the whole thing is odd. I'm treating this as a temporary hiccup up at the Google geocode servers.
And yes, I can certainly introduce an API server for a round trip Ajax call to do the lookup safely with a server key, but what's the point? Is there a benefit that I'm just not seeing? I guess I could add elements like a nonce to protect my round trip geocode intermediate lookup server from somebody else using it, etc.... But at this point, I'm just confused.
Update #2: 16 Jun 2016
Again, this whole thing is not clear. I filed a feature request to the Google GeoCode team asking for a clarification update to the documentation to address the use of Browser API keys for geocode lookups.
The documentation for the Geocoding Web Service states:
Standard API users: If you're using the API under the standard plan, you must use a server key (a type of API key) set up in a project of your choice.
The error message indicates you are using a browser key.
I've started looking into Google Places API recently and have enabled the API through my Google Developer Console. I tested the API through the following URL in my browser (please note that I have intentionally changed my key below):
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/textsearch/xml?query=hotel&location=43.683308,-79.614296&radius10000&key=thisismykey478erjr84
Worked fine, I got back the XML, but when I tried it again I got the following:
<PlaceSearchResponse>
<status>INVALID_REQUEST</status>
</PlaceSearchResponse>
Now, as far as I know I'm given a courtesy limit of 1,000 requests/day. I know I did not go over 1000 requests. I figured maybe I'm only allowed a certain number of requests per hour or per minute so I waited.
Next day same problem! And today as well.
Not sure what to do in this case, any advice?
The radius parameter is missing the = separator. Try radius=10000.
I'm using the v1 version of the API. When I make a call to get_group_users, I'm getting a 500 internal server error response back. It has been working in the past - is this a new issue?
Incidentally, returning this page for an API call breaks XML formatting (we noticed this from an error message "string "--" is not permitted within comments" when trying to parse the response body.
We also had the same issue suddenly with the API V1. When we investigated the issue with the API team it was for us to do with the size of the result.
There was no solution for us but to move to the API V2 which by default pages results and hence caps the issue.
However as you are aware Groups are not get exposed in the new API but I understand they are coming and just in the backlog along with the other missing features that can be found in API V1.
I am sure one of the API developers reading this can give some advice on an ETA for Groups reaching GA in API V2
I've been using the google code Url fetch service in a script attached to docs spreadsheet, and it had been working for more than a year. But suddenly, upon migration of docs to google drive, the service start to fail.
This is the format:
var url='xyz.com?command=xxx'
var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);
The failure report keeps saying..."unexpected error", while nothing has changed in the code 4 more than a year.
Pls What should I do to put things in order?
Hurray!
I got it!
Google was the problem.
I've been using the url starting with the API server IP, and it worked fine. Now, the fetch service stopped fetching using IP address. When I attempted to use the domain name in place of the IP address, it worked fine again.
Alhamdulillah!
But it would be good if someone here knows google guys and could inform them of this anomaly. This problem started to me around the same time I was migrated to the "DRIVE" service, away from the old "DOCS".
Thanks all, and have a blessed day.