Public APIs

Exploring the eRail API using JavaScript

The eRail API is a public API that provides users with real-time information on Indian Railways. This API allows users to access data on train schedules, fares, and routes, as well as information on the availability of seats and train coaches. With this API, users can retrieve information on over 7,500 trains and more than 22,000 stations across India.

In this tutorial, we will explore the eRail API using JavaScript code and see how we can use the API to retrieve data in a JSON format. We will cover the following topics:

Getting Started
Retrieving Train Information
Retrieving Station Information
Retrieving Train Schedule Information
Retrieving Train Fares Information

Getting Started

Before we can start using the eRail API, we need to obtain an API key. To get an API key, simply sign up for an account on http://api.erail.in/auth/register and follow the instructions.

Once you have your API key, you can start using the eRail API to retrieve train, station, schedule, and fare information in JSON format.

To retrieve information from the eRail API using JavaScript, we will use the Fetch API. The Fetch API is a simplified interface for making HTTP requests and handling responses. You can learn more about the Fetch API in the MDN Web Docs.

To get started, create a new HTML file and add the following code to it:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <title>eRail API Example</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>eRail API Example</h1>
    <script>
      const apiUrl = 'http://api.erail.in/';
      const apiKey = 'YourAPIKeyHere';
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

In the above code, replace apiKey with your API key.

Retrieving Train Information

To retrieve information about a specific train, we can use the Live Trains API endpoint. The Live Trains API endpoint returns a list of trains that are running on a specific date between two specified stations. The endpoint takes the following parameters:

key: The eRail API key.
stnfrom: The station code of the departure station.
stnto: The station code of the destination station.
date: The date of journey in dd-mm-yyyy format.
sort: The field to sort the results by. This can be trainno, src, dest, depttime, or arrtime.
order: The order to sort the results in. This can be asc for ascending or desc for descending.

To retrieve information about a specific train, add the following code to your HTML file:

<script>
  const trainNo = '12345';
  const date = '01-01-2022';
  fetch(`${apiUrl}live-train-status/train/${trainNo}/date/${date}/apikey/${apiKey}/`)
    .then(response => response.json())
    .then(data => console.log(data));
</script>

In the above code, replace trainNo and date with the desired values.

Retrieving Station Information

To retrieve information about a specific station, we can use the Stations API endpoint. The Stations API endpoint returns a list of stations based on the search query. The endpoint takes the following parameters:

key: The eRail API key.
stnName: The name of the station to search for.

To retrieve information about a specific station, add the following code to your HTML file:

<script>
  const stationName = 'delhi';
  fetch(`${apiUrl}stations/?names=${stationName}&apikey=${apiKey}`)
    .then(response => response.json())
    .then(data => console.log(data));
</script>

In the above code, replace stationName with the desired station name.

Retrieving Train Schedule Information

To retrieve the schedule of a specific train, we can use the Train Schedule API endpoint. The Train Schedule API endpoint returns the schedule of a specific train for a specified date. The endpoint takes the following parameters:

key: The eRail API key.
trainid: The train number.
date: The date of journey in dd-mm-yyyy format.

To retrieve the schedule of a specific train, add the following code to your HTML file:

<script>
  const trainNo = '12345';
  const date = '01-01-2022';
  fetch(`${apiUrl}train-schedule/train/${trainNo}/date/${date}/apikey/${apiKey}/`)
    .then(response => response.json())
    .then(data => console.log(data));
</script>

In the above code, replace trainNo and date with the desired values.

Retrieving Train Fares Information

To retrieve the fares of a specific train, we can use the Fares API endpoint. The Fares API endpoint returns the fares of a specific train for a specified date. The endpoint takes the following parameters:

key: The eRail API key.
trainid: The train number.
stnfrom: The station code of the departure station.
stnto: The station code of the destination station.
date: The date of journey in dd-mm-yyyy format.

To retrieve the fares of a specific train, add the following code to your HTML file:

<script>
  const trainNo = '12345';
  const stnFrom = 'NDLS';
  const stnTo = 'BCT';
  const date = '01-01-2022';
  fetch(`${apiUrl}fare/${trainNo}/${stnFrom}/${stnTo}/${date}/apikey/${apiKey}/`)
    .then(response => response.json())
    .then(data => console.log(data));
</script>

In the above code, replace trainNo, stnFrom, stnTo, and date with the desired values.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we covered the basics of using the eRail API using JavaScript and the Fetch API. We explored how we can retrieve train, station, schedule, and fare information using different API endpoints. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can do with the eRail API, and we encourage you to explore the API further and build your own applications using the data it provides.