Use JayDeBeApi to access Vimeo Data in Python

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Use standard Python scripting and the development environment of your choice to access live Vimeo data.

Access Vimeo data with Python scripts and standard SQL on any machine where Python and Java can be installed. You can use the CData API Driver for JDBC and the JayDeBeApi module to work with remote Vimeo data in Python. By using the CData Driver, you are leveraging a driver written for industry-proven standards to access your data in the popular Python language. This article shows how to use the driver to execute SQL queries to Vimeo and visualize Vimeo data with standard Python.

Use the JayDeBeApi module

JayDeBeApi is a Python library that serves as a JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) bridge, allowing Python programs to interact with Java databases, including CData JDBC Drivers. Use the pip install command to install the module:

pip install JayDeBeApi

Create the JDBC URL

Once you have JayDeBeApi installed, you are ready to work with Vimeo data in Python using SQL.

Vimeo is a professional video hosting platform. The Vimeo API uses personal access tokens (bearer tokens) to enable secure access to video metadata, user information, channels, groups, categories, and related resources.

Using API Key Authentication

To authenticate to the Vimeo API, you will need to provide a personal access token. To obtain your access token:

  1. Log in to your Vimeo account at https://vimeo.com
  2. Navigate to https://developer.vimeo.com/apps
  3. Create a new app or select an existing app
  4. Under "Personal Access Tokens", click "Generate" to create a new token
  5. Select the required scopes: public and private for read access
  6. Copy the generated token

After obtaining your access token, set the following connection properties:

  • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
  • APIKey: Set this to your Vimeo personal access token.

Example connection string

Profile=C:\profiles\Vimeo.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_personal_access_token';

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Vimeo 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 sample variable assignment, including a typical JDBC connection string:

jdbc_url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Vimeo.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_personal_access_token';"

Access Vimeo data in Python

With the JDBC URL configured, you only need the absolute path to the JDBC driver JAR file, which is in the "lib" folder in the installation directory ("C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.api.jar" on Windows).

NOTE: If you haven't already, set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the Java installation directory.

Use code similar to the follow to read and print data from Vimeo:

import jaydebeapi

#The JDBC connection string
jdbc_url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Vimeo.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_personal_access_token';"

username = "****"
password = "****"

#The absolute Path to the JDBC driver JAR file, typically:
jdbc_driver_jar = "C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.api.jar"

conn = jaydebeapi.connect(
   "cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver",
   jdbc_url,
   [username, password],
   jdbc_driver_jar,
)

cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM Videos;")


results = cursor.fetchall()
for row in results:
    print(row)

cursor.close()
conn.close()

Free trial & more information

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for JDBC and start working with your live Vimeo data in Python. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

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