paf-api

HTTP API that parses Postcode Address File records into correctly formatted address lines

Parses Postcode Address File records into correctly formatted address recognised by Royal Mail according to its Clear Addressing Guidelines.

Produces consistent address lines, a post town line and a postcode line via HTTP

Features

• Exposes UK Clear Addressing as a HTTP service
• Deployable as a docker container or node.js application

Links

• Github Repository
• Test Live on paf-api.ideal-postcodes.dev
• Docker Hub Image
• UK Clear Addressing Project
• NPM Package
• More information on Postcode Address File data attributes
• PAF Programmer's Guide

Getting Started

Try on paf-api.ideal-postcodes.dev

curl -X POST \
  https://paf-api.ideal-postcodes.dev/parse \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{ "sub_building_name": "Flat 8", "building_name": "Oxford House 110-114", "thoroughfare": "High Street" }'

HTTP API Usage

This API responds to POST requests to /parse with a JSON payload representing a PAF Record

POST /parse

Request

POST /parse
 
{
  "postcode": "WS11 5SB",
  "post_town": "CANNOCK",
  "thoroughfare": "Pye Green Road",
  "building_name": "Flower House 189A",
  "organisation_name": "S D Alcott Florists",
}

Response

{
  "query": {
    "postcode": "WS11 5SB",
    "post_town": "CANNOCK",
    "thoroughfare": "Pye Green Road",
    "building_name": "Flower House 189A",
    "organisation_name": "S D Alcott Florists",
    "building_number": "",
    "sub_building_name": "",
    "dependant_locality": "",
    "double_dependant_locality": "",
    "dependant_thoroughfare": "",
    "po_box": "",
    "department_name": "",
  },
  "formatted": {
    "postcode": "WS11 5SB",
    "post_town": "CANNOCK",
    "line_1": "S D Alcott Florists",
    "line_2": "Flower House",
    "line_3": "189a Pye Green Road",
    "premise": "Flower House, 189a"
  }
}

Available Payload Attributes

{
  building_number: string | number;
  building_name: string;
  sub_building_name: string;
  dependant_locality: string;
  double_dependant_locality: string;
  thoroughfare: string;
  dependant_thoroughfare: string;
  po_box: string;
  post_town: string;
  postcode: string;
  department_name: string;
  organisation_name: string;
}

Deploy

Deploy as a docker container

Using the docker CLI

docker pull idealpostcodes/paf-api:latest

docker run -p 8080:8080 idealpostcodes/paf-api

Alternatively with docker-compose

git clone https://github.com/ideal-postcodes/paf-api && cd paf-api
 
docker-compose up -d

Deploy as a node.js process

Requires node.js 8 or above

git clone https://github.com/ideal-postcodes/paf-api && cd paf-api && npm install
 
npm start # Traffic served on 8080 

NPM Module

The npm module exports an express app factory which takes a pino logger

const { App } = require("paf-api");
 
const app = App({ logger: pino() });
 
http.createServer(app).listen(PORT);

Configuration

The following environment variables can be passed to the application.

PORT=8080 # Sets the port to listen on 

Licence

MIT