Skip to content

Authentication

API Key

Access to the Reservoir Evaporation API requires an API key. This key must be included with each request to authenticate your application.

Requesting an API Key

To obtain an API key, you need to make a request to the authentication endpoint:

import requests

url = "https://operevap.dri.edu/auth/request_key"
params = {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "justification": "Research on reservoir evaporation for climate impact study"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)
print(response.text)

# Request an API key
curl -X GET "https://operevap.dri.edu/auth/request_key?name=John%20Doe&[email protected]&justification=Research%20on%20reservoir%20evaporation%20for%20climate%20impact%20study"

Parameters

Parameter Type Description
name string Your full name (First Last)
email string A valid email address where the API key will be sent
justification string A brief explanation of why you would like an API key and how you will use it

Response

After submitting your request, you should receive an email with your API key within 1 to 2 business days.

Using Your API Key

Once you have received your API key, you must include it in the header of each API request:

import requests
import os

# You can store your API key as an environment variable for security
api_key = os.environ.get("OPEREVAP_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")

url = "https://operevap.dri.edu/info/list_datasets"
headers = {
    "api-key": api_key
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
data = response.json()
print(data)

# Set your API key
API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

# Make a request using your API key
curl -X GET "https://operevap.dri.edu/info/list_datasets" \
     -H "api-key: ${API_KEY}"

Example: Getting CSV Output

import requests
import os

# Get API key from environment variable
api_key = os.environ.get("OPEREVAP_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")

url = "https://operevap.dri.edu/info/list_datasets"
headers = {
    "api-key": api_key
}
params = {
    "output_format": "csv"
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
csv_data = response.text
print(csv_data)

# Optionally save to file
with open('datasets.csv', 'w') as f:
    f.write(csv_data)

# Set your API key
API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

# Get data in CSV format
curl -X GET "https://operevap.dri.edu/info/list_datasets?output_format=csv" \
     -H "api-key: ${API_KEY}" \
     -o datasets.csv

API Key Security

  • Keep your API key secure and do not share it publicly.
  • If you believe your API key has been compromised, request a new one.
  • Do not embed your API key directly in client-side code that is accessible to users.
  • Use environment variables or secure configuration files to store your API key:
  • Python: Use os.environ.get("OPEREVAP_API_KEY")
  • Bash/cURL: Use export OPEREVAP_API_KEY="your-key" and reference with ${OPEREVAP_API_KEY}