DEV Community: Pavithran G

🚀 Steps to Create a Server in Amazon EC2

Pavithran G — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:17:56 +0000

1. Log in to AWS Management Console

Go to: AWS EC2 Console
Sign in with your AWS account.

2. Launch an EC2 Instance

From the Services menu → Select EC2.
Click Launch Instance.
Give your instance a name (e.g., MyServer).

3. Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

Select an OS (commonly used options):

Amazon Linux 2 (Free tier eligible)
Ubuntu Server (20.04/22.04)
Windows Server (if required)

4. Choose Instance Type

Free tier: t2.micro (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM)
For larger workloads: t3.medium, m5.large, etc.

5. Configure Key Pair (for SSH login)

Under Key pair (login) → Create new key pair.
Choose RSA and .pem format.
Download the .pem file → Keep it safe (required for SSH).

6. Configure Network Settings

In Network settings:
- Ensure VPC and Subnet are selected (default works).
- Enable Auto-assign Public IP.
Add Security group rules:
- ✅ SSH (22) → For Linux (your IP only).
- ✅ RDP (3389) → For Windows.
- ✅ HTTP (80) → For web traffic.
- ✅ HTTPS (443) → For SSL traffic.

7. Launch Instance

Click Launch Instance → AWS will provision your server.

8. Connect to Your Server

🔹 For Linux (using terminal)

chmod 400 my-key.pem   # Set correct permission
ssh -i "my-key.pem" ec2-user@<Public-IP>

🔹 For Ubuntu AMI

ssh -i "my-key.pem" ubuntu@<Public-IP>

🔹 For Windows

Download RDP file from Connect → RDP client.
Use Administrator password (decrypt using .pem file).

9. Install Required Software

Example: Install Nginx on Linux

sudo yum update -y
sudo yum install nginx -y
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Open browser → http://<Public-IP>

10. (Optional) Elastic IP

Prevents IP from changing after restart:
- EC2 Console → Elastic IPs → Allocate → Associate with instance.

✅ Your EC2 server is now ready!

🐞 GitHub Issues

Pavithran G — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 16:55:27 +0000

GitHub Issues are used to track ideas, enhancements, tasks, and bugs. They are a core part of project management on GitHub. This guide is your go-to resource for understanding and using Issues effectively.

✅ What Are Issues?

Issues help teams manage bugs, feature requests, improvements, and planning tasks.
They are interactive and can include comments, labels, assignees, milestones, and more.

✍️ How to Create an Issue

Navigate to the Issues tab of the GitHub repository.
Click the New issue button.
Provide a title and optional description.
Add labels, assignees, and optionally link it to projects or milestones.

🆚 Issue vs Discussion vs Pull Request

Feature	Description	Has Done State?
Issue	A specific, actionable task (e.g., bug or feature request)	✅ Yes
Discussion	Open-ended chat for brainstorming, Q&A, or community interaction	❌ No
Pull Request	A proposal to merge code changes, including review and approval workflow	✅ Yes

🔗 Linking a Pull Request to an Issue

To automatically close an issue when a PR is merged, use one of the following keywords in the PR description:

closes #123
fixes #123
resolves #123

🚀 GitHub Collaboration Features Guide

🌿 Create a Branch from an Issue

Visit the issue page.
Click Create a branch in the sidebar.
A new branch is created and auto-linked to the issue.

👥 Assign Issues

In the Assignees section:
- Assign the issue to one or more collaborators.
- Helps clarify who is responsible.

🔍 Search and Filter Issues

Use filters in the search bar:

is:open, is:closed
author:username
assignee:username
label:bug
mentions:username

Combined example:


bash
is:open is:issue label:bug assignee:octocat

How to Legally Scrape YouTube Videos Using the YouTube Data API

Pavithran G — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:33:09 +0000

Introduction

Accessing YouTube videos programmatically is a common need for developers working on data-driven projects. However, scraping YouTube directly violates its Terms of Service and can lead to legal issues or IP bans. The proper way to retrieve YouTube content is through its official Data API, which provides structured, legal access to video data.

This guide covers:
✅ Setting up the YouTube Data API
✅ Searching for videos programmatically
✅ Downloading videos ethically (for permitted use cases)
✅ Best practices to stay compliant

Why Use the YouTube API Instead of Scraping?

YouTube’s Terms of Service prohibit unauthorized scraping, but the YouTube Data API allows developers to:
Search and retrieve video metadata (titles, descriptions, durations)
Access public video data without violating policies
Stay within legal and fair-use boundaries
Using the API ensures long-term sustainability for your project without risking access restrictions.

Step 1: Set Up the YouTube Data API

1. Create a Google Cloud Project
   Go to Google Cloud Console

   Create a new project (e.g., "YouTube-Data-Collector")

2. Enable the YouTube Data API
   Navigate to APIs & Services → Library

   Search for "YouTube Data API v3" and enable it

3. Generate an API Key
   Go to Credentials → Create Credentials → API Key

   Copy the key (used for authentication in API requests)

Step 2: Search for Videos Using the API

The google-api-python-client library simplifies interactions with the YouTube API.

Install Required Library

pip install google-api-python-client
Python Script to Search Videos
python
from googleapiclient.discovery import build

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"  # Replace with your key
youtube = build("youtube", "v3", developerKey=API_KEY)

def search_videos(query, max_results=5):
    request = youtube.search().list(
        q=query,
        part="id,snippet",
        maxResults=max_results,
        type="video",
    )
    response = request.execute()
    return response["items"]

Example: Search for videos

videos = search_videos("fitness exercises")
for video in videos:
    print(f"Title: {video['snippet']['title']}")
    print(f"URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v={video['id']['videoId']}")

Output Example:

Title: 10-Minute Home Workout for Beginners
URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ABCD1234

Step 3: Downloading Videos (Ethical Considerations)
⚠ Important: Only download videos if:

You have explicit permission from the uploader
The video is publicly available and not restricted
Your use case complies with YouTube’s Terms of Service
For permitted downloads, yt-dlp (a maintained fork of youtube-dl) is a reliable tool.

     Install yt-dlp

pip install yt-dlp
import os
import yt_dlp

DOWNLOAD_DIR = "./downloaded_videos"
os.makedirs(DOWNLOAD_DIR, exist_ok=True)

def download_video(url, title):
    # Sanitize filename
    filename = f"{title.replace(' ', '_')}.mp4"
    filepath = os.path.join(DOWNLOAD_DIR, filename)

    ydl_opts = {
        "format": "bestvideo+bestaudio/best",
        "outtmpl": filepath,
        "quiet": False,
    }

    with yt_dlp.YoutubeDL(ydl_opts) as ydl:
        ydl.download([url])

Example usage

video_url = "https://youtube.com/watch?v=ABCD1234"
download_video(video_url, "Example_Workout_Video")

Best Practices for Compliance
Respect API Quotas

The free tier allows 10,000 requests/day.
Optimize calls with pagination and caching.

Check Video Licenses

Use videoLicense: "creativeCommon" to find reusable content.
Store Metadata for Reference
Keep video IDs, titles, and URLs in a structured format (CSV, SQLite).
Avoid Redistribution
Only download for personal/research use unless granted permission.

Conclusion

The YouTube Data API provides a legal and structured way to access video content without violating Terms of Service. By following ethical guidelines and using tools like yt-dlp responsibly, developers can gather video data sustainably.

✅ What To Do After Completing a Global Certification..?

Pavithran G — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 16:35:29 +0000

So, you’ve just completed a global certification—congratulations! 🎉

But what next?

Certifications are not just badges of honor. They’re gateways to career growth, practical knowledge, and real-world opportunities. Here's how to make the most of your certification and turn it into impact:

🔗 1. Add Certificates to LinkedIn

Showcase your achievement by adding the certificate to your LinkedIn profile under Licenses & Certifications. This increases your visibility to recruiters, colleagues, and industry peers.

📌 Bonus: Include a brief note on what skills you learned through the course.

🛠️ 2. Apply the Skills in Projects

Don’t let your new skills gather dust.
Start a mini project or contribute to open source.
Implement the skills in your ongoing academic or freelance work.
Use tools or techniques from the certification in your personal portfolio.
Learning by doing is the best way to cement your knowledge.

📢 3. Share the Knowledge

Help others grow by:

Writing blog posts (like this one 😉)
Creating short tutorials or videos
Hosting peer learning sessions or meetups
Teaching is a powerful form of learning. It also builds your credibility and leadership skills.

📝 4. Document Your Learning

Maintain a digital log or public notes (on Notion, GitHub, or a blog) of:

Concepts you’ve mastered
Challenges you faced
Tips, tools, and best practices
This makes it easier to revisit later and also helps others in the same learning path.

🎯 5. Connect It With Your Career Goals

Reflect on how this certification supports your:

Short-term job prospects
Long-term professional development
Transition into new roles or domains
Make it a part of your personal brand and strategy.

🌍 6. Use It in Academic Work & Real-World Problems

Leverage your certification knowledge to:

Enrich your final-year project or thesis
Bring value to internships or part-time roles
Solve problems in your local community or organization
This bridges the gap between theory and practice—a critical edge in today’s job market.

💬 Final Thoughts
Getting certified is just the beginning. How you use it is what truly sets you apart.

Start building, sharing, and applying today—and you’ll see the real ROI of your certification journey. 🚀