API Basics — Video Resources

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Best Single Video

APIs for Beginners - How to Use an API (Full Course) by freeCodeCamp / Craig Dennis (~2.5 hrs) Why: The definitive beginner API course. Starts with what an API is, how HTTP works, then moves to hands-on practice with Postman and helper libraries in both JavaScript and Python. Includes real-world examples with Spotify and Twilio APIs. Assumes only basic coding knowledge.

Alternatives

• Python Requests Tutorial: Request Web Pages, Download Images, POST Data, Read JSON, and More by Corey Schafer (~25 min) — Focused on the Python side: making GET/POST requests, reading JSON responses, downloading files, and handling authentication. The practical companion to understanding API theory.
• Python FastAPI Tutorial by Tech With Tim (~58 min) — Teaches API concepts from the builder's perspective. Covers endpoints, HTTP methods, path/query parameters, request bodies, and status codes while building a FastAPI app from scratch.

Deep Dives

• Python API Development - Comprehensive Course for Beginners by freeCodeCamp / Sanjeev Thiyagarajan (~19 hrs) — The most comprehensive Python API course available for free. Builds a full API with FastAPI, PostgreSQL, SQLAlchemy, Alembic, pytest, Docker, and CI/CD. Takes you from zero to production-ready.

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Last verified: February 2026