Fixer.io API Tutorial - How To Connect Fixer to Google Sheets

How to connect the Fixer API to Google Sheets

Fixer is a simple and lightweight API for current and historical foreign exchange (forex) rates. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to connect the Fixer REST API to Google Sheets in 5 steps:

Install the Apipheny add-on
Obtain an API Access Key
Choose a Fixer API endpoint
Enter the Fixer API request into the Apipheny add-on
Run the Fixer API request in your Google Sheet

Step 1.) Install and open the Apipheny add-on for Google Sheets

Apipheny is a free API connector for Google Sheets. You can use Apipheny to connect your Google Sheets to API data sources, easily.

1.) Install Apipheny by opening the following link on desktop and then clicking the Install button in the Google Marketplace: https://apipheny.io/install

2.) After you’ve installed Apipheny, open a Google Sheet and then click on the Extensions dropdown in the menu at the top.

In the dropdown list you should see Apipheny. Click Apipheny then click Import API to open the Apipheny sidebar in your Google Sheet.

Tip: you can open a new Google Sheet by entering this URL in your browser: sheet.new

Step 2.) Obtain an API Access Key

After logging into your Fixer account, your API Access Key will be displayed on the screen:

Copy and paste your Key in a safe location because you’ll need it later.

Step 3.) Choose a Fixer API endpoint

In this section, we’ll show you how to browse the Fixer API documentation to find an endpoint that retrieves the specific information you need from your Fixer account. If you already know your API URL, or you want to use the same example URL as us, just skip to Step 4.

First, open the Fixer API documentation page: https://fixer.io/documentation

The menu on the left contains a getting started guide for the Fixer API and a list of available API endpoints:

In this example, we will describe the Historical Rates endpoint that lists available historical rates by appending a date (format YYYY-MM-DD) to the base URL. The whole URL for this endpoint is:

https://data.fixer.io/api/DATE?access_key=API_KEY&base=GBP&symbols=USD,CAD,EUR

If you use this URL, don’t forget to replace DATE with an actual date value in the appropriate format and API_key with your API key.

The documentation for this endpoint contains a short description of the endpoint’s purpose, the API request, the accepted path parameters, and the responses it can return:

All API calls to Fixer should be made to the https://data.fixer.io/api/ base domain. Endpoints are appended to this base domain.

Step 4.) Enter the Fixer API request into the Apipheny add-on

Okay, we’re in the home stretch. Now go back to your Google Sheet and make sure that the Apipheny add-on is open on the Import tab. With the Import tab open, enter these details into the add-on:

Method: At the top of the Apipheny sidebar, select the HTTP method (GET or POST) as required by your Fixer API endpoint. For this example, we are using the GET method.

API URL: In Step 3, we explained how you can find the Fixer API endpoint that you need. Now copy the complete API URL into the Apipheny add-on, where it says API URL Path, followed by any GET parameters required for your query.

For this example, we are using the Latest Rates endpoint which, depending on your subscription plan, will return real-time exchange rate data, updated every 60 minutes, every 10 minutes, or every 60 seconds. The corresponding URL for this endpoint is:

http://data.fixer.io/api/latest?access_key=API_KEY

If you’re using this URL, don’t forget to replace API_KEY with your API Key that you previously obtained in Step 2.

Headers aren’t required for this query, so we can leave that section blank in Apipheny.

Step 5.) Run the Fixer API request in your Google Sheet

The last step is to click the Run button at the bottom of the Apipheny add-on and then your Fixer data will be imported into your Google Sheet:

After making a successful request to the Fixer API, try querying a different Fixer API endpoint, or try using one of the more advanced features in the Apipheny add-on.