Use mock data while building a feature to stay unblocked, then switch to the live API for integration testing. The hybrid approach gives you focus when learning and realism when integrating.

CORS issues, rate limiting, downtime, and changing response shapes can block your work. You depend on an external service that may not always be available, which can derail a learning session.

Copy a real response from the API and use it as your mock. Keeping the same shape means your parsing works identically when you switch from mock to live data.