JSON Placeholder API

Why JSON Placeholder

• Need a placeholder api that can provide fake users, fake posts or fake todo items - JSONPlaceholder has you covered

• Provides free, fake data via a RESTFUL API

• Great for developers who want to have some data to develop against so that screens / functionality can be tested outside the null case

• The endpoints are super easy to use, no auth, no specific need for query parameters

• Lets you send GET POST PUT PATCH and DELETE requests to emulate getting, editing, deleting data

• Uses a common URL http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com - and specific paths for each endpoint

• Supports HTTP and HTTPS

Popular Endpoints

Fake Users - /users

• http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users (simply click the link to see the responding JSON)

[{
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Leanne Graham",
    "username": "Bret",
    "email": "Sincere@april.biz",
    "address": {
      "street": "Kulas Light",
      "suite": "Apt. 556",
      "city": "Gwenborough",
      "zipcode": "92998-3874",
      "geo": {
        "lat": "-37.3159",
        "lng": "81.1496"
      }
    },
    "phone": "1-770-736-8031 x56442",
    "website": "hildegard.org",
    "company": {
      "name": "Romaguera-Crona",
      "catchPhrase": "Multi-layered client-server neural-net",
      "bs": "harness real-time e-markets"
    }
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "name": "Ervin Howell",
    "username": "Antonette",
    "email": "Shanna@melissa.tv",
    "address": {
      "street": "Victor Plains",
      "suite": "Suite 879",
      "city": "Wisokyburgh",
      "zipcode": "90566-7771",
      "geo": {
        "lat": "-43.9509",
        "lng": "-34.4618"
      }
    },
    "phone": "010-692-6593 x09125",
    "website": "anastasia.net",
    "company": {
      "name": "Deckow-Crist",
      "catchPhrase": "Proactive didactic contingency",
      "bs": "synergize scalable supply-chains"
    }
  }]

• supports the query param id so you could get a specific user by ID eg
• https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users?id=3 returns the following code

[
  {
    "id": 3,
    "name": "Clementine Bauch",
    "username": "Samantha",
    "email": "Nathan@yesenia.net",
    "address": {
      "street": "Douglas Extension",
      "suite": "Suite 847",
      "city": "McKenziehaven",
      "zipcode": "59590-4157",
      "geo": {
        "lat": "-68.6102",
        "lng": "-47.0653"
      }
    },
    "phone": "1-463-123-4447",
    "website": "ramiro.info",
    "company": {
      "name": "Romaguera-Jacobson",
      "catchPhrase": "Face to face bifurcated interface",
      "bs": "e-enable strategic applications"
    }
  }
]

Try it Out

Patching / Deleting / Updating

• In all cases we need to specify the id of the user via a URL param

• Eg to specify user 3 we use /users/3

• When changing a record we must include the changes as JSON
• In the case of updating (PUT) we need to update all the information
• In the case of patching (PATCH) we need can up date just a single field

• In the case of delete there is nothing to provide the user will be “deleted”

{
"email":"newemail@gmail.com",
"phone":"111-111-1111"
}

Try Patching Out

Fake Posts - /posts

• http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts

• Each post has
• userId
• id
• title
• body

[
  {
    "userId": 1,
    "id": 1,
    "title": "sunt aut facere repellat provident occaecati excepturi optio reprehenderit",
    "body": "quia et suscipit\nsuscipit recusandae consequuntur expedita et cum\nreprehenderit molestiae ut ut quas totam\nnostrum rerum est autem sunt rem eveniet architecto"
  },
  {
    "userId": 1,
    "id": 2,
    "title": "qui est esse",
    "body": "est rerum tempore vitae\nsequi sint nihil reprehenderit dolor beatae ea dolores neque\nfugiat blanditiis voluptate porro vel nihil molestiae ut reiciendis\nqui aperiam non debitis possimus qui neque nisi nulla"
  },
  {
    "userId": 1,
    "id": 3,
    "title": "ea molestias quasi exercitationem repellat qui ipsa sit aut",
    "body": "et iusto sed quo iure\nvoluptatem occaecati omnis eligendi aut ad\nvoluptatem doloribus vel accusantium quis pariatur\nmolestiae porro eius odio et labore et velit aut"
  }
]

• Takes id and userId as query parameters to provide basic filtering (careful params are case sensitive)

• For example to filter by userId=2 we would use: http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts?userId=2 yields:

[
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 11,
    "title": "et ea vero quia laudantium autem",
    "body": "delectus reiciendis molestiae occaecati non minima eveniet qui voluptatibus\naccusamus in eum beatae sit\nvel qui neque voluptates ut commodi qui incidunt\nut animi commodi"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 12,
    "title": "in quibusdam tempore odit est dolorem",
    "body": "itaque id aut magnam\npraesentium quia et ea odit et ea voluptas et\nsapiente quia nihil amet occaecati quia id voluptatem\nincidunt ea est distinctio odio"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 13,
    "title": "dolorum ut in voluptas mollitia et saepe quo animi",
    "body": "aut dicta possimus sint mollitia voluptas commodi quo doloremque\niste corrupti reiciendis voluptatem eius rerum\nsit cumque quod eligendi laborum minima\nperferendis recusandae assumenda consectetur porro architecto ipsum ipsam"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 14,
    "title": "voluptatem eligendi optio",
    "body": "fuga et accusamus dolorum perferendis illo voluptas\nnon doloremque neque facere\nad qui dolorum molestiae beatae\nsed aut voluptas totam sit illum"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 15,
    "title": "eveniet quod temporibus",
    "body": "reprehenderit quos placeat\nvelit minima officia dolores impedit repudiandae molestiae nam\nvoluptas recusandae quis delectus\nofficiis harum fugiat vitae"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 16,
    "title": "sint suscipit perspiciatis velit dolorum rerum ipsa laboriosam odio",
    "body": "suscipit nam nisi quo aperiam aut\nasperiores eos fugit maiores voluptatibus quia\nvoluptatem quis ullam qui in alias quia est\nconsequatur magni mollitia accusamus ea nisi voluptate dicta"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 17,
    "title": "fugit voluptas sed molestias voluptatem provident",
    "body": "eos voluptas et aut odit natus earum\naspernatur fuga molestiae ullam\ndeserunt ratione qui eos\nqui nihil ratione nemo velit ut aut id quo"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 18,
    "title": "voluptate et itaque vero tempora molestiae",
    "body": "eveniet quo quis\nlaborum totam consequatur non dolor\nut et est repudiandae\nest voluptatem vel debitis et magnam"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 19,
    "title": "adipisci placeat illum aut reiciendis qui",
    "body": "illum quis cupiditate provident sit magnam\nea sed aut omnis\nveniam maiores ullam consequatur atque\nadipisci quo iste expedita sit quos voluptas"
  },
  {
    "userId": 2,
    "id": 20,
    "title": "doloribus ad provident suscipit at",
    "body": "qui consequuntur ducimus possimus quisquam amet similique\nsuscipit porro ipsam amet\neos veritatis officiis exercitationem vel fugit aut necessitatibus totam\nomnis rerum consequatur expedita quidem cumque explicabo"
  }
]

Patching / Deleting / Updating

• In all cases we need to specify the id of the post via a URL param

• Eg to specify post 3 we use /posts/3

• When changing a record we must include the changes as JSON
• In the case of updating (PUT) we need to update all the information
• In the case of patching (PATCH) we need can up date just a single field

• In the case of delete there is nothing to provide the post will be “deleted”

Try It Out

Other Endpoints

Post Comment - /comments

• Provides the comments for a given post

• Has a postId id name email and body

• Comments are by a specific user

• https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/comments

• Works the same as all the other endpoints as described above for users & posts

• Filter by id or postID

Try It Out

Albums - /albums

• Simple object for an album

• Has a userId id and title

• https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/albums

• Works the same as all the other endpoints as described above for users & posts

• Filter by id or userID

Try It Out

Photos - /photos

• Provides the photos for a given album

• Has a albumId title url and thumbnailUrl

• https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/photos

• Works the same as all the other endpoints as described above for users & posts

• Filter by id or albumID

Todos - /todos

• Provides the photos for a given album

• Has a userId id title and completed

• https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos

• Works the same as all the other endpoints as described above for users & posts

• Filter by id or userID