How to Short an URL using Google API and REQUESTS? - python-2.7

Question

I am trying to short an URL using Google API but using only the requests module.
The code looks like this:
import requests
Key = "" # found in https://developers.google.com/url-shortener/v1/getting_started#APIKey
api = "https://www.googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url"
target = "http://www.google.com/"
def goo_shorten_url(url=target):
payload = {'longUrl': url, "key":Key}
r = requests.post(api, params=payload)
print(r.text)
When I run goo_shorten_url it returns:
"error": {
"errors": [
{
"domain": "global",
"reason": "required",
"message": "Required",
"locationType": "parameter",
"location": "resource.longUrl"
}
],
"code": 400,
"message": "Required"
}
But the longUrl parameter is there!
What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

At first, please confirm that "urlshortener api v1" is enabled at Google API Console.
Content-Type is required as a header. And please use data as a request parameter. The modified sample is as follows.
Modified sample :
import json
import requests
Key = "" # found in https://developers.google.com/url-shortener/v1/getting_started#APIKey
api = "https://www.googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url"
target = "http://www.google.com/"
def goo_shorten_url(url=target):
headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
payload = {'longUrl': url, "key":Key}
r = requests.post(api, headers=headers, data=json.dumps(payload))
print(r.text)
If above script doesn't work, please use an access token. The scope is https://www.googleapis.com/auth/urlshortener. In the case of use of access token, the sample script is as follows.
Sample script :
import json
import requests
headers = {
"Authorization": "Bearer " + "access token",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
payload = {"longUrl": "http://www.google.com/"}
r = requests.post(
"https://www.googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url",
headers=headers,
data=json.dumps(payload)
)
print(r.text)
Result :
{
"kind": "urlshortener#url",
"id": "https://goo.gl/#####",
"longUrl": "http://www.google.com/"
}
Added 1 :
In the case of use tinyurl.com
import requests
URL = "http://www.google.com/"
r = requests.get("http://tinyurl.com/" + "api-create.php?url=" + URL)
print(r.text)
Added 2 :
How to use Python Quickstart
You can use Python Quickstart. If you don't have "google-api-python-client", please install it. After installed it, please copy paste a sample script from "Step 3: Set up the sample", and create it as a python script. Modification points are following 2 parts.
1. Scope
Before :
SCOPES = 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.metadata.readonly'
After :
SCOPES = 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/urlshortener'
2. Script
Before :
def main():
"""Shows basic usage of the Google Drive API.
Creates a Google Drive API service object and outputs the names and IDs
for up to 10 files.
"""
credentials = get_credentials()
http = credentials.authorize(httplib2.Http())
service = discovery.build('drive', 'v3', http=http)
results = service.files().list(
pageSize=10,fields="nextPageToken, files(id, name)").execute()
items = results.get('files', [])
if not items:
print('No files found.')
else:
print('Files:')
for item in items:
print('{0} ({1})'.format(item['name'], item['id']))
After :
def main():
credentials = get_credentials()
http = credentials.authorize(httplib2.Http())
service = discovery.build('urlshortener', 'v1', http=http)
resp = service.url().insert(body={'longUrl': 'http://www.google.com/'}).execute()
print(resp)
After done the above modifications, please execute the sample script. You can get the short URL.

Answer 2

I am convinced that one CANNOT use ONLY requests to use google api for shorten an url.
Below I wrote the solution I ended up with,
It works, but it uses google api, which is ok, but I cannot find much documentation or examples about it (Not as much as I wanted).
To run the code remember to install google api for python first with
pip install google-api-python-client, then:
import json
from oauth2client.service_account import ServiceAccountCredentials
from apiclient.discovery import build
scopes = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/urlshortener']
path_to_json = "PATH_TO_JSON"
#Get the JSON file from Google Api [Website]
(https://console.developers.google.com/apis/credentials), then:
# 1. Click on Create Credentials.
# 2. Select "SERVICE ACCOUNT KEY".
# 3. Create or select a Service Account and
# 4. save the JSON file.
credentials = ServiceAccountCredentials.from_json_keyfile_name(path_to_json, scopes)
short = build("urlshortener", "v1",credentials=credentials)
request = short.url().insert(body={"longUrl":"www.google.com"})
print(request.execute())
I adapted this from Google's Manual Page.
The reason it has to be so complicated (more than I expected at first at least) is to avoid the OAuth2 authentication that requires the user (Me in this case) to press a button (to confirm that I can use my information).

Answer 3

As the question is not very clear this answer is divided in 4 parts.
Shortening URL Using:
1. API Key.
2. Access Token
3. Service Account
4. Simpler solution with TinyUrl.
API Key
At first, please confirm that "urlshortener api v1" is enabled at Google API Console.
Content-Type is required as a header. And please use data as a request parameter. The modified sample is as follows.
(Seems not to be working despite what the API manual says).
Modified sample :
import json
import requests
Key = "" # found in https://developers.google.com/url-shortener/v1/getting_started#APIKey
api = "https://www.googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url"
target = "http://www.google.com/"
def goo_shorten_url(url=target):
headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
payload = {'longUrl': url, "key":Key}
r = requests.post(api, headers=headers, data=json.dumps(payload))
print(r.text)
Access Token:
If above script doesn't work, please use an access token. The scope is https://www.googleapis.com/auth/urlshortener. In the case of use of access token, the sample script is as follows.
This answer in Stackoverflow shows how to get an Access Token: Link.
Sample script :
import json
import requests
headers = {
"Authorization": "Bearer " + "access token",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
payload = {"longUrl": "http://www.google.com/"}
r = requests.post(
"https://www.googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url",
headers=headers,
data=json.dumps(payload)
)
print(r.text)
Result :
{
"kind": "urlshortener#url",
"id": "https://goo.gl/#####",
"longUrl": "http://www.google.com/"
}
Using Service Account
To avoid the user need to accept the OAuth authentication (with a pop up screen and all that) there is a solution that uses authentication from machine to machine using a Service Account (As mentioned in another proposed answer).
To run this part of the code remember to install google api for python first with pip install google-api-python-client, then:
import json
from oauth2client.service_account import ServiceAccountCredentials
from apiclient.discovery import build
scopes = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/urlshortener']
path_to_json = "PATH_TO_JSON"
#Get the JSON file from Google Api [Website]
(https://console.developers.google.com/apis/credentials), then:
# 1. Click on Create Credentials.
# 2. Select "SERVICE ACCOUNT KEY".
# 3. Create or select a Service Account and
# 4. save the JSON file.
credentials = ServiceAccountCredentials.from_json_keyfile_name(path_to_json, scopes)
short = build("urlshortener", "v1",credentials=credentials)
request = short.url().insert(body={"longUrl":"www.google.com"})
print(request.execute())
Adapted from Google's Manual Page.
Even simpler:
In the case of use tinyurl.com
import requests
URL = "http://www.google.com/"
r = requests.get("http://tinyurl.com/" + "api-create.php?url=" + URL)
print(r.text)