Build a Real-Time Currency Converter
Building a currency converter is a classic project for developers. It's a practical way to learn the fundamentals of working with a third-party API: making an HTTP request, parsing a JSON response, and dynamically updating the UI.
This tutorial will walk you through building a clean, functional currency converter web application from scratch. We will use HTML, CSS, and vanilla JavaScript to call a REST API, fetch a live exchange rate, and perform the conversion instantly. We'll be using the Currency Exchange API for its simple endpoint and straightforward JSON response.
Step 1: Get Your API Key
Before you can make a request, you need an API key to authenticate.
- Sign up for a free account at
hub.juheapi.com
. - Navigate to your dashboard to find your API keys.
- Generate a new key for this project and copy it.
Step 2: Understanding the API Request and Response
The API is designed for simplicity.
-
The Request: You'll make a GET request with a few key query parameters:
key
: Your API key.from
: The currency you are converting from (e.g.,USD
).to
: The currency you are converting to (e.g.,EUR
).value
: The amount of the base currency to convert.
-
The JSON Response: A successful call returns a JSON object. The most important parts are
result
(the converted amount) andinfo.rate
. For this guide, we'll focus on the primary result. A successful response might look like this:{ "reason": "Success", "result": { "c_amount": "100", "c_from": "USD", "c_to": "EUR", "camount": "92.54" // The converted amount }, "error_code": 0 }
Step 3: Building the Application
Conclusion & Next Steps
Ready to expand? Dive into the full API Documentation to see the complete list of supported currencies or explore other powerful Fintech APIs on hub.juheapi.com
.