Product Brief #5:
 New API Parameters & Gallery Showcase

May 30, 2018 ()

Microlink API

Microlink API examples was improved, highlighting the referenced term in each section.

User agent API parameter

We added a new configurable User Agent as API parameter.
Normally you don't need to specify this value but some websites can have a different output based on the incoming request user agent.
For example, is very common websites serve images on
WebP
 format they detect that you are using Google Chrome.

Video API parameter

In the previous Product Brief we introduced the first iteration of video support as part of the API supported data types.
Although it's widely used when you consume the API response using our SDK, it can degrade the general user experience, making the response times a bit heavy, specially if you are only interested in the rest of data extracted by the API.
We decide leverage the decision in the new video API Parameter, when the default value is `false`.
If you are consuming link previews over the SDK, no breaking changes here. Otherwise, keep in mind you need to pass it to have the same effect as until now.

Metascraper v3.11

metascraper
 continues to improve, which makes our extraction engine more efficient.
Some significant changes since the last time have been:
  • Improved URL detection using a
    WHATWG URL
     parser. Thanks
    Stefan Andres Charsley
     for contribute 🎉.
  • Optimized bootstrap process loadind configuration file just
    once
    .
  • Speed up core rules removing
    non
    really
    necessaries
     steps, also core is smaller and faster right now.
  • Add rules parameter support doing possible load specific
    rules
     out of the box.
  • Exported core validators making possible
    reuse
     them and creating consistent third party rules set.
This changes has been deployed at Microlink API, adding support for a new shiny functionality called Custom Rules: The ability to tell the API new rules to extract new data.
We are preparing a new post explaining how to do that, staty stunned 🤘.

Join the community

All of these improvements or features are community driven: We listen to your feedback and act accordingly.
Whether you are are building a product and you need fancy previews, you’re an indie hacker or simply you like frontend stuff, come chat with us 🙂.