[R] WDI package commands timing out and not working

[Ivan Krylov]

В Fri, 9 Aug 2024 20:25:51 +0530
Anupam Tyagi <anuptyagi using gmail.com> пишет:

> I am trying this in Bengaluru, India, using R-studio. I tried
> downloading a single variable. It happened fast, in less than 5
> seconds. I tried downloading six variables, it took much longer, but
> less than a minute. Tried eight variables and it did not download
> even in five minutes.

> I checked in the browser using the URL provided in the warning
> messages:  The World Bank web API gave me the indicator in less than
> a second.

I think that the fact that this initially works from R but then only
works in the browser is clear evidence of Cloudflare "protecting" the
World Bank API from you trying to use it in an automated manner. That
this mostly defeats the purpose of an API was probably lost on people
who set it up.

In theory, this should be reported to the people who operate the API.
There seems to be a support form at
<https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/topics/125589-developer-information>.
I don't have a lot of confidence in them fixing anything as a result
of such a request.

Try to cache all access to the API. Consider getting a proxy in a
country less discriminated against by Cloudflare. Maybe petition the
WDI maintainer to export a function that parses a JSON file manually
downloaded with a browser?

-- 
Best regards,
Ivan