Top Tasks to Learn API Integration in React and Angular

API integration is a core part of modern web applications. Whether you’re building with React or Angular, learning how to fetch and handle data from APIs will level up your frontend development skills.

Here are practical tasks that will help you master API integration step-by-step in both frameworks.

✅ 1. Understand How REST APIs Work

🔹 Task: Read API documentation and understand endpoints, methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), and responses.

📌 Example:
Check a public API like https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com

👉 Skill Gained: Grasp the structure of APIs before implementing.

✅ 2. Perform a GET Request

🔹 Task: Fetch data from a public API and display it in your app.

📌 React Example:

useEffect(() => {
  fetch('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts')
    .then(res => res.json())
    .then(data => setPosts(data));
}, []);

📌 Angular Example:

this.http.get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts')
  .subscribe(data => this.posts = data);

👉 Skill Gained: Learn basic data fetching and display.

✅ 3. Show a Loading Spinner

🔹 Task: Add a loader while data is being fetched.

👉 Skill Gained: Handle asynchronous operations and improve UX.

✅ 4. Handle API Errors Gracefully

🔹 Task: Use try/catch in React or .catch() in Angular to display error messages if the API fails.

📌 React Example:

try {
  const res = await fetch(url);
  if (!res.ok) throw new Error("Failed to fetch data");
} catch (err) {
  console.error(err);
}

👉 Skill Gained: Error handling and user feedback.

✅ 5. Create a POST Request (Submit Form Data)

🔹 Task: Build a form and send its data to the API using POST.

📌 Angular Example:

this.http.post('https://api.example.com/users', this.userForm.value)
  .subscribe(response => console.log(response));

👉 Skill Gained: Learn how to send data from frontend to backend.

✅ 6. Use Axios or HttpClient

🔹 Task: Use axios in React and HttpClient in Angular for cleaner requests.

📌 React Axios Example:

axios.get('https://api.example.com/data')
  .then(res => console.log(res.data));

👉 Skill Gained: Use of powerful HTTP libraries for better handling.

✅ 7. Display Fetched Data in a Table/List

🔹 Task: Render fetched data using loops (.map() in React and *ngFor in Angular).

📌 React:

posts.map(post => <li key={post.id}>{post.title}</li>)

📌 Angular:

<li *ngFor="let post of posts">{{ post.title }}</li>

👉 Skill Gained: Dynamic rendering and component logic.

✅ 8. Use Route Parameters with API Calls

🔹 Task: Fetch specific data using dynamic IDs in the route (e.g., /users/5).

👉 Skill Gained: Routing + API logic together.

✅ 9. Create a Search Feature with API Integration

🔹 Task: Filter data or search by query using an input field and trigger API calls.

👉 Skill Gained: Debouncing, controlled inputs, and efficient API use.

✅ 10. Implement Token-Based Authentication (Bonus Task)

🔹 Task: Use tokens (JWT) in headers to call protected APIs.