Connect to SerpApi Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for SerpApi makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live SerpApi data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to SerpApi data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to SerpApi Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for SerpApi\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to SerpApi and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the SerpAPI Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\SerpAPI.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for SerpAPI (see below).

SerpAPI API Profile Settings

SerpAPI uses API key authentication. To obtain an API key:

1. Sign in to your SerpAPI account at https://serpapi.com
2. Navigate to the API Key page at https://serpapi.com/manage-api-key
3. Copy your private API key

After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.

Set the following in the ProfileSettings connection property:

• APIKey: Set this to your SerpAPI private API key.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the SerpApi JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for SerpApi:

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\SerpAPI.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key_here';

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to SerpApi Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: APISelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for SerpApi 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.api.jar'

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\SerpAPI.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key_here';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Asin, Title FROM AmazonSearch")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your SerpApi data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S APISelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to SerpApi allows you to quickly and easily incorporate SerpApi data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!