Extract data from JSON API using Python [duplicate]

Question

I go through this part:

How do I extract the data from that URL? I only want to print out the "networkdiff": 58954.60268219.

from urllib import urlopen

url = urlopen('http://21.luckyminers.com/index.php?page=api&action=getpoolstatus&api_key=8dba7050f9fea1e6a554bbcf4c3de5096795b253b45525c53562b72938771c41').read()

print url

This is what the API display as a result from print url command:

{
    "getpoolstatus": {
        "version": "1.0.0",
        "runtime": 16.618967056274,
        "data": {
            "pool_name": "21 Coin Pool @ Luckyminers.com",
            "hashrate": 485426748,
            "efficiency": 98.1,
            "workers": 14,
            "currentnetworkblock": 12025,
            "nextnetworkblock": 12026,
            "lastblock": 12023,
            "networkdiff": 58954.60268219,
            "esttime": 521.61956775542,
            "estshares": 241478052.58625,
            "timesincelast": 427,
            "nethashrate": 485426748
        }
    }
}

Centuple

If there's an answer you like, please help the community and mark it as accepted by clicking the check mark. – Saleratus

Answer 1

You can use the json module to parse out a Python dictionary and get right to the value like so:

import json
result = json.loads(url)  # result is now a dict
print '"networkdiff":', result['getpoolstatus']['data']['networkdiff']

To do this multiple times (to answer your question in the comments section):

import json
import urllib

urls = {'joe': 'url1', 'jack': 'url2', 'jane': 'url3'}
for who in urls.keys():
    url = urllib.urlopen(urls[who])
    result = json.loads(url)  # result is now a dict
    print 'For %s: "networkdiff":' % who, result['getpoolstatus']['data']['networkdiff']

Saleratus

I like your approach with the dictionary approach. – Centuple

Now I have 3 URLs that I want to get the 'networkdiff' data to display. How do I create a dictionary with 3 different names. Joe, Jack, Jane and at the same time display the three 'networkdiff' next to those 3 names. – Centuple

Answer 2

convert the response to json and then read it

from urllib import urlopen
import simplejson as json

url = urlopen('http://21.luckyminers.com/index.php?page=api&action=getpoolstatus&api_key=8dba7050f9fea1e6a554bbcf4c3de5096795b253b45525c53562b72938771c41').read()
url = json.loads(url)

print url.get('getpoolstatus').get('data').get('networkdiff')

Spikes

Why use simplejson instead of json? – Gusher

what do I do next after I use your code? how does it display the networkdiff number for me to see? – Centuple

@Centuple print prints it. – Gusher

simplejson has backwards compatibility and is updated quite often you may use try: import simplejson as json except ImportError: import json for fallback safety. – Spikes

u may install simplejson by pip install simplejson or else if on python 2.6+ can simply use json – Spikes

I don't know how to install simplejson on windows 7 so i'm switching to Ubuntu now, it comes with it. – Centuple