Quickstart: Search for videos using the Bing Video Search REST API and Ruby

Article
02/16/2022

Use this quickstart to make your first call to the Bing Video Search API. This simple Ruby application sends an HTTP video search query to the API, and displays the JSON response. Although this application is written in Python, the API is a RESTful Web service compatible with most programming languages.

The source code for this sample is available on GitHub with additional error handling, and code annotations.

Prerequisites

Ruby 2.4 or later.

Create and initialize the application

Import the following packages into your code file:

require 'net/https'
require 'uri'
require 'json'

Create variables for the API endpoint, video API search path, your subscription key, and search term.

uri  = "https://api.bing.microsoft.com"
path = "/bing/v7.0/videos/search"
term = "kittens"
accessKey = "your-subscription-key"

Create and send an API request

Use the variables from the previous step to format a search URL for the request. Combine your uri and path, and then url-encode your search term before appending it to the ?q= parameter.
```
uri = URI(uri + path + "?q=" + URI.escape(term))
```
Add the complete search URL to the request and add your subscription key to the Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key header.
```
request = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
request['Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key'] = accessKey
```

Send the request, and then save the response.

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, :use_ssl => uri.scheme == 'https') do |http|
    http.request(request)
end

Process and view the response

After the response is received, print the JSON response.

puts JSON::pretty_generate(JSON(response.body))

JSON response

A successful response is returned in JSON, as shown in the following example:

{
    "_type": "Videos",
    "instrumentation": {},
    "readLink": "https://api.cognitive.microsoft.com/api/v7/videos/search?q=kittens",
    "webSearchUrl": "https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kittens",
    "totalEstimatedMatches": 1000,
    "value": [
        {
            "webSearchUrl": "https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kittens&view=...",
            "name": "Top 10 cute kitten videos compilation",
            "description": "HELP HOMELESS ANIMALS AND WIN A PRIZE BY CHOOSING...",
            "thumbnailUrl": "https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OVP.n1aE_Oikl4MtzBb...",
            "datePublished": "2014-11-12T22:47:36.0000000",
            "publisher": [
                {
                    "name": "Fabrikam"
                }
            ],
            "creator": {
                "name": "Marcus Appel"
            },
            "isAccessibleForFree": true,
            "contentUrl": "https://www.fabrikam.com/watch?v=8HVWitAW-Qg",
            "hostPageUrl": "https://www.fabrikam.com/watch?v=8HVWitAW-Qg",
            "encodingFormat": "h264",
            "hostPageDisplayUrl": "https://www.fabrikam.com/watch?v=8HVWitAW-Qg",
            "width": 480,
            "height": 360,
            "duration": "PT3M52S",
            "motionThumbnailUrl": "https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OM.j4QyJAENJphdZQ_1501386166&pid=Api",
            "embedHtml": "<iframe width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https://www.fabrikam.com/embed/8HVWitAW-Qg?autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>",
            "allowHttpsEmbed": true,
            "viewCount": 7513633,
            "thumbnail": {
                "width": 300,
                "height": 168
            },
            "videoId": "655D98260D012432848F6558260D012432848F",
            "allowMobileEmbed": true,
            "isSuperfresh": false
        },
        . . .
    ],
    "nextOffset": 36,
    "queryExpansions": [
        {
            "text": "Kittens Meowing",
            "displayText": "Meowing",
            "webSearchUrl": "https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Kittens+Meowing...",
            "searchLink": "https://api.cognitive.microsoft.com/api/v7/videos/search...",
            "thumbnail": {
                "thumbnailUrl": "https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?q=Kittens+Meowing&pid..."
            }
        },
        {
            "text": "Funny Kittens",
            "displayText": "Funny",
            "webSearchUrl": "https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Funny+Kittens...",
            "searchLink": "https://api.cognitive.microsoft.com/api/v7/videos/search...",
            "thumbnail": {
                "thumbnailUrl": "https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?q=Funny+Kittens&..."
            }
        },
        . . .
    ],
    "pivotSuggestions": [
        {
            "pivot": "kittens",
            "suggestions": [
                {
                    "text": "Cat",
                    "displayText": "Cat",
                    "webSearchUrl": "https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Cat...",
                    "searchLink": "https://api.cognitive.microsoft.com/api/v7/videos/search?...",
                    "thumbnail": {
                        "thumbnailUrl": "https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?q=Cat&pid=Api..."
                    }
                },
                {
                    "text": "Feral Cat",
                    "displayText": "Feral Cat",
                    "webSearchUrl": "https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Feral+Cat...",
                    "searchLink": "https://api.cognitive.microsoft.com/api/v7/videos/search...",
                    "thumbnail": {
                        "thumbnailUrl": "https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?q=Feral+Cat&pid=Api&..."
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "relatedSearches": [
        {
            "text": "Kittens Being Born",
            "displayText": "Kittens Being Born",
            "webSearchUrl": "https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Kittens+Being+Born...",
            "searchLink": "https://api.cognitive.microsoft.com/api/v7/videos/search?...",
            "thumbnail": {
                "thumbnailUrl": "https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?q=Kittens+Being+Born&pid=..."
            }
        },
        . . .
    ]
}

Next steps

Create a single-page web app.

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