Unit Converter API in PHP
Complete PHP integration guide for the Unit Converter API. Copy the code below, add your RapidAPI key, and start building.
Prerequisites
- 1.Sign up for a free account on RapidAPI
- 2.Subscribe to the Unit Converter API (free tier available)
- 3.Copy your
X-RapidAPI-Keyfrom the dashboard
Complete PHP Example
<?php
$url = "https://unit-converter-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com/convert?value=100&from=km&to=miles";
$ch = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
"X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY",
"X-RapidAPI-Host: unit-converter-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com"
]
]);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true);
echo "Status: " . $data["status"] . "\n";
echo "Result: " . print_r($data["data"], true) . "\n";Response Format
All Helix-API endpoints return a consistent JSON envelope:
{
"status": "ok",
"data": { ... },
"meta": {
"request_id": "req_abc123",
"latency_ms": 42
}
}On errors, status becomes "error" and a message field explains what went wrong.
Error Handling
| Status | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
200 | Success | Parse the response body normally |
400 | Bad request | Check your request parameters |
401 | Unauthorized | Verify your X-RapidAPI-Key header |
429 | Rate limited | Wait and retry with exponential backoff |
500 | Server error | Retry after a short delay |
PHP Best Practices
Works with any PHP 7.4+ project
The example uses cURL, which is built into PHP. No Composer packages needed to call the Unit Converter API.
Use Guzzle for complex integrations
For production apps, install guzzlehttp/guzzle via Composer. It handles retries, timeouts, and connection pooling.
Laravel HTTP client
In Laravel, use Http::withHeaders([...])->get() for a cleaner syntax with automatic JSON parsing.
Error handling
Always check curl_errno() and the HTTP status code. Wrap calls in try-catch for production reliability.
Unit Converter API Endpoints
/convertConvert a value between two units
/unitsList supported units (optionally by category)
Other Languages
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