104 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
104 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
# Why use this API?
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[Deutsche Bahn itself provides an API.](https://data.deutschebahn.com/dataset/api-fahrplan) Why use this one? (And what could DB do better?)
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## Realtime Data
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This API returns realtime data whenever its upstream, the [API for DB's mobile app](https://github.com/public-transport/hafas-client/blob/e02a20b1de59bda3cd380445b6105e4c46036636/p/db/readme.md), provides it.
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## No API Key
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Especially on web sites/apps, it is a subpar solution to the send API keys to the client. Also, you have to obtain these keys manually and cannot automatically revoke them. **This API doesn't require a key.**
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## CORS
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If you want to use transport information on a web site/app, [CORS](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Access_control_CORS) must be enabled. Otherwise, you would have to send all requests through your own proxy server. **This API has CORS enabled.**
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## Readable Markup
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Compare the underlying HAFAS API:
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```js
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{
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cid: 'C-0',
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date: '20171216',
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sDays: { /* … */ },
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dep: {
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locX: 0,
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dPlatfS: '6',
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dInR: true,
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dTimeS: '115400',
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dProgType: 'PROGNOSED',
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dTZOffset: 60,
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type: 'N'
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},
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arr: {
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locX: 2,
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aPlatfS: '4',
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aOutR: true,
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aTimeS: '162600',
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aProgType: 'PROGNOSED',
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aTZOffset: 60,
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type: 'N'
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},
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/* … */
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}
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```
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to this one:
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```js
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{
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origin: {
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type: 'station',
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id: '8089066',
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name: 'Berlin Friedrichstraße (S)',
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location: {
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type: 'location',
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latitude: 52.520331,
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longitude: 13.386934
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},
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products: {
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nationalExp: false,
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national: false,
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regionalExp: false,
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regional: true,
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suburban: true,
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bus: true,
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ferry: false,
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subway: true,
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tram: true,
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taxi: false
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},
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},
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destination: {
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type: 'station',
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id: '8004158',
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name: 'München-Pasing',
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location: {
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type: 'location',
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latitude: 48.150036,
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longitude: 11.461624
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},
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products: { /* … */ },
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},
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departure: '2017-12-16T11:54:00.000+01:00',
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arrival: '2017-12-16T16:26:00.000+01:00',
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}
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```
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## Caching-friendly
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This API sends [`ETag`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/ETag) & [`Cache-Control`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Cache-Control) headers, allowing clients to refresh their state efficiently.
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## HTTP/2
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[HTTP/2](https://http2.github.io/) allows multiple requests at a time, efficiently pipelines sequential requests and compresses headers. See [Cloudflare's HTTP/2 page](https://blog.cloudflare.com/http-2-for-web-developers/).
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## Proper HTTP, Proper REST
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This wrapper API follows [REST-ful design principles](https://restfulapi.net), it uses `GET`, and proper paths & headers.
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## Monitoring
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There's a [status board](https://status.transport.rest) that shows realtime uptime statistics.
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