🔑 API Keys Setup Guide

This guide will help you obtain the free API keys needed for CycleSync.

Required APIs

1. NewsAPI (Health Articles)

Free Tier: 100 requests/day

Steps to get your key:

1. Visit https://newsapi.org/
2. Click "Get API Key"
3. Sign up with your email
4. Verify your email
5. Copy your API key from the dashboard
6. Add to .env.local: VITE_NEWSAPI_KEY=your_key_here

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2. RapidAPI (ExerciseDB)

Free Tier: 10,000 requests/month

Steps to get your key:

1. Visit https://rapidapi.com/
2. Sign up for a free account
3. Go to ExerciseDB API
4. Click "Subscribe to Test"
5. Select the Basic (Free) plan
6. Copy your X-RapidAPI-Key from the code snippets
7. Add to .env.local: VITE_RAPIDAPI_KEY=your_key_here

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3. Spoonacular (Recipes)

Free Tier: 150 requests/day

Steps to get your key:

1. Visit https://spoonacular.com/food-api
2. Click "Get Access"
3. Sign up for a free account
4. Go to your Profile
5. Copy your API key
6. Add to .env.local: VITE_SPOONACULAR_KEY=your_key_here

Important: The app tracks your daily usage and automatically switches to fallback recipes when you reach the limit. You'll see a friendly message: "You've reached the daily limit for detailed recipes. Tomorrow you'll have more!"

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4. Gemini AI (Chatbot) - Already Configured

You should already have this from the initial setup.

If not:

1. Visit https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey
2. Create an API key
3. Add to .env.local: VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=your_key_here

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Setup Instructions

1. Create .env.local file in the root of your project:

   cp .env.example .env.local

2. Add all your API keys to .env.local:

   VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_key
   VITE_NEWSAPI_KEY=your_newsapi_key
   VITE_RAPIDAPI_KEY=your_rapidapi_key
   VITE_SPOONACULAR_KEY=your_spoonacular_key

3. Restart your dev server:

   npm run dev

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Features by API

API	Feature	Free Limit	Fallback
NewsAPI	Health articles in Dashboard	100/day	Static curated articles
ExerciseDB	Exercise GIFs and instructions	10,000/month	3 basic exercises
Spoonacular	Recipe search with nutrition	150/day	6 curated recipes
Gemini AI	Smart chatbot assistant	Generous free tier	N/A

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Quota Management

Spoonacular Smart Quota System

The app automatically tracks your Spoonacular API usage:

• Tracks requests in localStorage
• Resets daily at midnight
• Shows warning when limit is reached
• Switches to fallback recipes automatically
• Displays reset time to users

You can check your quota status in the Nutrition page - a banner will appear when you're close to or have exceeded the daily limit.

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Troubleshooting

"API key is missing" error

• Make sure your .env.local file exists
• Check that all keys start with VITE_
• Restart your dev server after adding keys

"Quota exceeded" message

• NewsAPI: Wait until tomorrow or upgrade to paid plan
• ExerciseDB: Very generous limit, unlikely to hit
• Spoonacular: App will show fallback recipes automatically

API not working

1. Check if your API key is valid
2. Verify you're subscribed to the free plan (RapidAPI)
3. Check browser console for specific error messages
4. Ensure you haven't exceeded rate limits

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Cost Summary

Total Monthly Cost: $0 🎉

All APIs used in this project have generous free tiers that are more than sufficient for personal use and development.

If you need more requests:

• NewsAPI: $449/month (Business plan)
• Spoonacular: $19/month (500 requests/day)
• ExerciseDB: Free tier is very generous

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Privacy & Security

• All API keys are stored in .env.local (gitignored)
• Keys are only used client-side for this personal project
• For production, consider using a backend proxy to hide API keys
• No user data is sent to third-party APIs

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Need Help?

If you encounter any issues:

1. Check the browser console for errors
2. Verify all API keys are correctly formatted
3. Ensure you're using the latest version of the code
4. Check API provider status pages

Happy coding! 🚀