Pagination divides a large API result set into sequential pages returned through separate requests. When one response cannot contain all requested records, retrieve each page and combine the results into one dataset. section 10.1.1
A practical pagination workflow includes:
- Read the API documentation to identify result limits, request restrictions, authentication requirements, and costs. section 10.1.1 section 10.4
- Use a for loop to make the required requests and append records from each page to a dataset. section 10.1.1
- Respect rate limits by inserting pauses between requests when a loop could exceed the permitted call frequency. section 10.1.1
- Process the returned JSON after collection so nested records can become tabular data for analysis. section 10.4
Collecting a complete API dataset
A script requests the first page, continues through the available pages, appends every page’s records, and pauses between calls when necessary. The combined records can then be processed into a pandas dataset. section 10.1.1 section 10.4
