Authenticating, Libraries, Session Keys, Sample GET

Authentication Review

Authentication consists of sending ArchivesSpace a username and password and receiving a session key in return.

Any interaction with the API after the initial authentication must then include that session key (in the header) until the session expires.

These slides discuss authenticating and then storing and sending the session key when using Python.

In order to authenticate with Postman, we posted our password to the user endpoint:

http://localhost:8089/users/admin/login

And we used our password as a parameter:

?password=secure_password

This assumes:

• base URL = http://localhost:8089
• username = admin
• password = secure_password

In real life, you may be using a base URL that is not the default. So instead of:

• base URL = http://localhost:8089

It might be more like:

• base URL = http://sandbox.archivesspace.org/api
• base URL = http://hogwarts-archives-api.org

Also in real life, you'll be using an ArchivesSpace staff account. I recommend creating one just for the API:

• username = api_user
• password = squp6nusk1TIK

In which case this would be your user endpoint:

http://localhost:8089/users/api_user/login?password=squp6nusk1TIK

http://hogwarts-archives-api.org/users/api_user/login?password=squp6nusk1TIK

Authenticate in Python with the Requests library

What's a Python library?

A collection of built-in modules. Simply put, they are some of the tools in your Python toolbox.

If you're a plumber, you use different tools than a carpenter and vice versa.

As someone interested in a RESTful web API that's sending and receiving JSON you'll use different Python libraries than a programmer working with mathmatical data sets or XML data.

Here are some libraries that I use all the time:

• Requests
  • For handling the request/response cycle
  • Downloaded and installed
• JSON
  • For handling the JSON I get and send
  • Built into Python3
• CSV
  • For creating or reading spreadsheets, my go-to for everything despite it being 2021
  • Built into Python3

And here are some libraries I use occasionally or in more advanced scripts:

• pymarc
  • For working with MARC21 in Python
  • Downloaded and installed
• sqlalchemy
  • For working directly in SQL in the AS database via Python
  • Downloaded and installed
• lxml
  • For working with XML (EAD)
  • Downloaded and installed
• ArchivesSnake
  • Specific to ArchivesSpace!!!
  • Downloaded and installed

ArchivesSnake is a Python library specifically designed for the ArchivesSpace API. Though I have an ArchivesSnake example, I am not using ASnake for these demonstrations.

Why not? This is very much a personal opinion, but I found that learning Requests first was easier, then I progressed to using ASnake. This is a beginners presentation, and as beginners you will need to learn Python as a broad tool first, then using that knowledge, progress towards the more specific goal of using ASnake for the Aspace API.

But if you already have some Python knowledge, want to start with ArchivesSnake, or simply disagree, go for ASnake!

#I have already installed these libraries, and here is where I call them
import requests
import json

auth = requests.post('http://localhost:8089/users/admin/login?password=secure_password').json()
session = auth['session']
headers = {'X-ArchivesSpace-Session': session, 'Content_Type': 'application/json'}

print(json.dumps(auth, indent=2))

print('Your session key is: ' + session)

first_name = 'Fred'
last_name = 'Rogers'

print('Howdy neighbor! My name is ' + first_name + ' ' + last_name + ' and this is my neighborhood.')

Compare these:

('http://localhost:8089/users/admin/login?password=secure_password').json()

(baseURL + '/users/' + user + '/login?password=' + password).json()

#Variables

import requests
import json
 
baseURL = 'http://localhost:8089'
user = 'admin'
password = 'secure_password'
repository = '101'

# baseURL = 'http://sandbox.archivesspace.org/api'
# user = 'admin'
# password = 'admin'

auth = requests.post(baseURL + '/users/' + user + '/login?password=' + password).json()
session = auth['session']
headers = {'X-ArchivesSpace-Session': session, 'Content_Type': 'application/json'}

print('Your session key is: ' + session + ' for ' + baseURL)

Authenticate in Python with ArchivesSnake Python client

from asnake.client import ASnakeClient

client = ASnakeClient(baseurl='http://localhost:8089',
                      username='admin',
                      password='secure_password')
client.authorize()

print('Now your session key is: ' + client.authorize())

Use Requests to GET the Morris Canal Company records resource record

Which is resources/1 in my local install

Store and send the session key

#Back to using the Requests library
#headers=headers is where I'm storing the session key and delivering it each time I make a request

import requests
import json
 
baseURL = 'http://localhost:8089'
user = 'admin'
password = 'secure_password'
repository = '101'

auth = requests.post(baseURL + '/users/' + user + '/login?password=' + password).json()
session = auth['session']
headers = {'X-ArchivesSpace-Session': session, 'Content_Type': 'application/json'}

print(headers)

output = requests.get(baseURL + '/repositories/' + repository + '/accessions/5', headers=headers).json()
print(json.dumps(output, indent=2))

Get the "other collection"

Which is resources/101 in my local install

output = requests.get(baseURL + '/repositories/' + repository + '/resources/101', headers=headers).json()
print(json.dumps(output, indent=2))

# Final script all together.
# If you want to re-purpose this script, this is the block to use.
# Save it as name_of_file.py in order to run it as Python3 in your local environment.
# Disclaimer: This script is being provided as an example and may need to be modified for local use.
# Modifying and using this script is the responsibility of the individual using it.
# Do not test against Production!
# Authentication based on a script by ehanson8 (https://github.com/MITLibraries/archivesspace-api-python-scripts)

#Import the following libraries
import json
import requests

#Set your authentication info, baseurl, and repository info (if relevant)
baseURL = 'http://localhost:8089'
user = 'admin'
password = 'secure_password'
repository = '101'

#Authorize and store your session key in your header
auth = requests.post(baseURL + '/users/' + user + '/login?password=' + password).json()
session = auth['session']
headers = {'X-ArchivesSpace-Session': session, 'Content_Type': 'application/json'}

print('Your session key is: ' + session + ' for ' + baseURL)

#Modify this endpoint to GET and then print different record types
output = requests.get(baseURL + '/repositories/' + repository + '/resources/1', headers=headers).json()
print(json.dumps(output, indent=2))