Request Directory

Request Directory is an open-source alternative to RapidAPI, allowing you to use APIs for a variety of tasks with a single API key!

Tip

If you’re looking to see the source code for the external APIs, you can find them in this repository.

Getting Started

To get started with self-hosting Request Directory, you have two options:

Automatic Setup (WIP)

A simple, one-line command to get you started.

# TODO! See manual setup for now

Note

I’ve not completed this yet—I’m looking to create a simple command that will take an input of the APIs you want to use and then automatically set up the environment for you.

Manual Setup

Eventually, I’ll get rid of the need for Python, but for now, here’s how to set up the project:

# clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/arsenstorm/api-directory.git request-directory
cd request-directory

# add Environment Variables
cp .env.example .env

# WARNING: You need to fill in the environment variables in the .env file

# make the setup script executable
chmod +x setup.sh

# run the setup script
./setup.sh

Caution

You need to fill in the environment variables in the .env file.

Development

The stuff below talks about the stuff that goes on in the development environment.

Docker

To build the docker image, run the following command:

docker build -t request-directory .

To run the docker container, run the following command:

docker run -it -p3000:3000 request-directory

Supabase

Request Directory uses Supabase for authentication, database, storage, and edge functions.

Edge functions are used to handle incoming Webhooks (such as from Stripe).

Storage is used to store images, videos, and other files where appropriate (such as the video creation API).

Supabase Realtime is used to show real-time updates to the user.

Managed or Local?

We strongly recommend using the managed version of Supabase. It’s got a generous free tier and works well.

Unkey

Request Directory uses Unkey to manage API keys.

I chose Unkey because it’s open source and has a generous free tier.

Although it’s possible to self-host Unkey, documentation is not available (see this issue).

APIs

Request Directory contains a bunch of different APIs that are all hosted on the same domain.

NudeNet

Details about the NudeNet API can be found here.

To start the NudeNet API, run the following command:

docker run -it -p 7001:7001 ghcr.io/arsenstorm/nudenet:latest

This will make the API available at http://localhost:7001/infer.

Request Directory uses this API locally at http://localhost:3000/v1/nudenet or https://request.directory/v1/nudenet in production.

Kamal Proxy

Request Directory uses Kamal Proxy.

Zero Downtime Deployments

Kamal Proxy allows for zero downtime deployments. When a new version of the application is deployed, the old version is kept alive and the new version is rolled out in a controlled manner.

To deploy a new version of the application, run the following command:

./deploy.sh

Caution

This is not yet a zero downtime deployment. It’s more of a 10-20 second downtime. I’m working on it.

FAQ

Will you be adding more APIs?

Yep! I think Request Directory is super useful and it’s a great way to discover new APIs. If you have any suggestions, please open an issue or submit a PR.

Will Request Directory get any AI models?

No. The official instance of Request Directory won’t get any AI models.

It will, however, host APIs that use AI models (like those from OpenAI).

Tip

If you want to use Request Directory to host AI models, clone this repository and add necessary configurations to the

Why Supabase?

It’s awesome!

Notes

Environment Variables

If you’ve been developing locally and using docker, you may run into an issue where the environment variables are not being set accurately inside of Next.

If this is the case, you’ve probably forgotten to shutdown the docker-compose stack.

To fix it, run the following command:

docker-compose down

And then open a new terminal window before running bun dev again.

_{Copyright © 2024 Arsen Shkrumelyak. All rights reserved.}