Accessing the Airthings Api with Python and Flask

This sample code involves using a simple Flask webapp providing a front-end interface using the requests-oauthlib Python3 library to access the Airthings for Business API using the Authorization Grant OAuth2 flow.

Please note that this is a basic example created only to show how to access information from the Airthings API. Do not use this code in production without first implementing standard security within your web application.

Required Dependencies

• Python 3
• pip to install the python packages for the project

Compatibility

This example is built to work with the Airthings for Business API.

Installation

To set up the example Flask webapp simply run the following from the command line:

git clone https://github.com/Airthings/python-flask-ext-api-example
cd python-flask-ext-api-example
pip install -r requirements.txt

The webapp can then be run by using:

python app.py

Basic Usage

Please refer to the Getting Started guide for a more generalized overview of accessing the the Airthings API.

Before starting ensure you have your credentials:

• Airthings Client Id
• Airthings Client Secret
• Redirect URI All three can be found at https://accounts.airthings.com/clients when registering an API Client.

Adding Configuration and Gaining Access Token

The AirthingsAccount class within the AirthingsAccount.py file can be used to begin the OAuth2 flow. The class can be initialised with by being supplied with the API credentials. Three steps must be followed to gain an access token:

Step 1

Initialize the AirthingsAccount with your API credentials.

my_account = AirthingsAccount(
    client_id     = AIRTHINGS_CLIENT_ID,
    client_secret = IRTHINGS_CLIENT_SECRET,
    redirect_uri  = APP_REDIRECT_URI
)

Step 2

The get_authorization function returns an authorization URL that will provide a link provided by Airthings that will let you log into your account via username and password. Upon logging in you will then be redirected to the redirect URI that you provided.

my_account.get_authorization()

Step 3

Ideally, the redirect URI will contain a code that can be used to fetch access tokens. The get_access_token function can be provided with the redirected page URL you were sent to from the previous step to allow you to get your access token.

my_account.get_access_token(request.url)

Making Requests

Currently, only GET requests are supported, which are listed in the API documentation. The routes defined in the app.py file detail how these requests can be made, while the index.html can display basic JSON results.

Securing API Credentials

There are a number of ways to supply API credentials to the AirthingsAccount class. It is critical to never include client secrets within your web app directly. This can lead to a number of security risks that may compromise your account information.