FatSecret Food Database REST API Client with TypeScript

How to Provide a Rich Food and Meals Database: A Guide to Implementing the FatSecret API

When developing a product that requires a food search functionality, it’s essential to have a robust and reliable food and meals database. In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to implement the FatSecret API, a free service that provides access to a vast database of food and nutrition information.

Authentication

To use the FatSecret API, you need to register as a developer on their website. The API uses OAuth Core 1.0 protocol for securely signing all requests. Although the documentation on FatSecret’s website is comprehensive, it can be overwhelming. This article aims to provide a simplified guide to getting started with the FatSecret API.

What You Need Before You Start

Before you begin, you’ll need a FatSecret developer account. This will provide you with an Access Token (also known as a REST API Consumer Key) and an Access Secret (sometimes referred to as a REST API Shared Secret). These credentials are required to authenticate your API requests.

Signature Base String

To generate a Signature Base String, you need to concatenate the HTTP method (GET or POST), the request URL, and your query params in the following format:

<http method />
&<request url />
&<normalized parameters />

The request URL is simply the API path.

Query Params (Normalized Parameters)

Each method (e.g., foods.search or food.get) in the FatSecret REST API has its own set of supported params, but all of them share common OAuth parameters. Let’s create a helper function to get all of them.

API Call Wrapper

We’re almost there! All we need now is to call the FatSecret API. We’ll use a helper function to generate the request signature and then make the API call.

Search Method

In this tutorial, we’ll cover only one method, foods.search, which seems to be the entry point for further development. Other methods are similar, and our code can be reused for them.

Full Example

Here’s a full example of how to use the FatSecret API with TypeScript:

import * as fetch from 'node-fetch';
import * as qs from 'query-string';
import * as hmacsha1 from 'hmacsha1';

interface FatsecretFood {
  food_id: string;
  food_name: string;
  food_type: FatsecretFoodType;
  food_url: string;
  brand_name?: string;
  food_description: string;
}

export enum FatsecretFoodType {
  Brand = 'Brand',
  Generic = 'Generic',
}

interface FatsecretResponse {
  foods: {
    food: FatsecretFood[];
    max_results: number;
    total_results: number;
    page_number: number;
  };
}

const getFatsecretData = async (method: string, params: any) => {
  const { food, maxResults, query } = params;
  const url = `https://platform.fatsecret.com/api/${method}`;
  const signatureBaseString = `${method} ${url} ${qs.stringify(params)}`;
  const signature = hmacsha1.sign(signatureBaseString, 'your_access_token', 'your_access_secret');
  const headers = {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${signature}`,
  };
  const response = await fetch(url, { method, headers, body: JSON.stringify(params) });
  return response.json();
};

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve covered the basics of implementing the FatSecret API, including authentication, signature generation, and API call wrapping. By following this guide, you should be able to get started with using the FatSecret API in your own project.

FAQs

Q: What is the FatSecret API?
A: The FatSecret API is a free service that provides access to a vast database of food and nutrition information.

Q: How do I get started with the FatSecret API?
A: You can register as a developer on the FatSecret website and obtain an Access Token and Access Secret.

Q: What is the purpose of the Signature Base String?
A: The Signature Base String is used to authenticate API requests by concatenating the HTTP method, request URL, and query parameters.

Q: Can I use the FatSecret API for commercial purposes?
A: Yes, the FatSecret API is free for basic usage, but you may need to upgrade to a paid tier for commercial use.

Q: How do I handle errors in the FatSecret API?
A: You can handle errors by checking the HTTP status code of the response and parsing the error message.