# Play with some Unique and Fun APIs

## Introduction

The term API is an acronym, and it stands for “**Application Programming Interface**”.

> Think of an API like a menu in a restaurant. The menu provides a list of dishes you can order, along with a description of each dish. When you specify what menu items you want, the restaurant’s kitchen does the work and provides you with some finished dishes. You don’t know exactly how the restaurant prepares that food, and you don’t really need to.

Let's explore some cool, unique, and fun APIs today.

**Removal API**

So, the first API we are going to explore is from [**removal.ai**](https://removal.ai). Removal.ai makes it easy for us to remove backgrounds from our images and the final image we get is more clean and good. It's simple to use using its website where we just have to drag and drop our image and it provides us our resultant image.

Now, this website gives us API access also. We just need an **API Key** and we can use the below cURL command to remove background without going on its website.

```bash
$ curl -L -X POST "https://api.removal.ai/3.0/remove"
-H "Rm-Token: YOUR_API_KEY"
-F "image_file=@path/to/image.jpg"
-F "get_file=1" -o transparent_image.png
```

You can get API Key from [here](https://removal.ai/my-account) and read the entire API documentation [here](https://removal.ai/api-documentation/).

## Random Jokes API

[**icanhazdadjoke.com**](https://icanhazdadjoke.com/) is the largest selection of dad jokes on the internet. Now supporting many different integrations to ensure you can access the dad jokes that you need wherever you are. You can add it to Slack or even Alexa. It provides us API to fetch a random joke, a specific joke, or searching for jokes in a variety of formats. The best thing is we don't need to authenticate ourselves for using the API.

We can fetch data in different ways. The basic cURL command to fetch joke in JSON format is :

```bash
$ curl -H "Accept: application/json" https://icanhazdadjoke.com/j/R7UfaahVfFd
```

You can learn more about it [here](https://icanhazdadjoke.com/api).

## Marvel API

The next API we are going to discuss is from [**Marvel**](https://developer.marvel.com/). *Marvel fans must like this post now*. It allows developers everywhere to access information about Marvel's vast library of comics—from what's coming up, to 70 years ago. This tool will help developers everywhere create amazing, uncanny and incredible web sites and applications using data from the 70-plus years of the Marvel age of comics.

Just [signup](https://developer.marvel.com/signup) for an account and get an API [here](https://developer.marvel.com/account). We get a huge API access ranging from characters to series and comics and everything. Just read the API documentation [here](https://developer.marvel.com/documentation/getting\_started) and start exploring this API as much you can (*of course, Marvel fans must do*).

## Free Meal API

This API comes from [**TheMealDB.com**](https://www.themealdb.com/) where we can search meals using the name, area, categories, and ingredients. The API and site will always remain free at the point of access. You can use the **Test API Key "1"** during the development of your app or for educational use. However, you must apply for a key a production API key via email if released publicly. You must explore this API [here](https://www.themealdb.com/api.php) if you are a foodie.

## Fun Translations API

[Funtranslations API](https://api.funtranslations.com/) gives access to the full set of translations available at funtranslations.com so that you can integrate them in your workflow or an app. wh

The base endpoint is :

```bash
https://api.funtranslations.com/translate/
```

For public calls, you **don't need to pass any API Key**. Just invoke the endpoint (see examples [here](https://funtranslations.com/api/)). However, for paid subscriptions, you need to pass the API key in the header as *X-FunTranslations-Api-Secret*.

## NASA API

Outer space has always been fascinating to humans. The objective of this API is to make NASA data, including imagery, eminently accessible to application developers. The [**api.nasa.gov**](https://api.nasa.gov/) catalog is growing.

You **do not need to authenticate** in order to explore the NASA data. However, if you will be intensively using the APIs to, say, support a mobile application, then you should sign up for a [NASA developer key](https://api.nasa.gov/#signUp). You can learn more about the APIs [here](https://api.nasa.gov/#browseAPI).

**ADVICE SLIP**

[Advice Slip JSON API](https://api.adviceslip.com/) comes from the [AdviceSlip.com](https://adviceslip.com/) where we can get random advice, get advice by id or search advice. It is completely free and can be helpful if you want to generate advice. Learn more about this [here](https://api.adviceslip.com/).

## Conclusion

I hope you liked the above fun APIs and will surely check them out someday. You can also check out this [github repository](https://github.com/public-apis/public-apis) for an extensive list of public APIs.