31 APIs in this category · last checked 2 October 2026
31
APIs listed
14
need no API key (45%)
3
CORS enabled (10%)
31
HTTPS (100%)
This directory lists 31 open data APIs. 2 of them require no API key and support CORS, so you can call them directly from browser JavaScript with no backend and no sign-up. Every entry shows whether it needs authentication, serves over HTTPS and allows cross-origin requests, so you can pick one that fits your stack before you read a single doc page.
Looks up Telegram bot IDs by username and returns vote counts for a given bot from the BotsArchive registry, free with no signup and no published rate limit.
No
✓
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CollegeScoreCard.ed.gov
Covers US higher education institutions with cost, enrollment, debt and earnings data from the Department of Education, free to query with an api.data.gov key.
apiKey
✓
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CARTO
Runs spatial analysis and mapping directly on data warehouses like BigQuery, Snowflake and Redshift, with a free trial before CARTO's paid plans apply.
apiKey
✓
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Black History Facts
Serves searchable Black history facts and lets registered developers contribute new entries, requiring a free API key through the BlackHistoryAPI developer portal.
apiKey
✓
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GENESIS
Delivers German Federal Statistical Office tables on the economy, labor, society and regions through a REST and JSON webservice, free with a registered account.
apiKey
✓
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Callook.info
Looks up US amateur radio callsigns and returns license class, name, address and grid square, free with no key, though map coordinates rely on the Bing Maps API.
No
✓
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Microlink.io
Turns any URL into structured metadata or a rendered screenshot using a real browser backend, free at low volume before paid plans cover its 50 million monthly requests.
No
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Archive.org
Opens access to Internet Archive texts, movies, software and Wayback Machine snapshots plus OpenLibrary's ten million scanned books, free with no key required.
No
✓
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OpenCorporates
Searches company registrations, filings and officers from OpenCorporates worldwide, with a free key for open data projects capped at 50 calls a day and 200 a month.
apiKey
✓
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OpenSanctions
Screens names against global sanctions lists, watchlists and politically exposed persons data, billed pay as you go per query with free keys for journalists and researchers.
apiKey
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LinkPreview
Returns a page's title, description and preview image for any URL, free for personal use up to 60 requests per hour before paid tiers raise the limit.
apiKey
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Recreation Information Database
Lists US federal campgrounds, permits, facilities and recreation areas maintained by Recreation.gov, free to query once you register for an API key.
apiKey
✓
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Kaggle
Downloads and uploads Kaggle datasets, notebooks and competition submissions from the command line, authenticated with a free API token from your account settings.
apiKey
✓
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Socrata
Queries open datasets published by governments and NGOs worldwide in JSON, CSV or GeoJSON, free with an app token and built in CORS support for browser apps.
apiKey
✓
✓
openAFRICA
Hosts open datasets from African governments, NGOs and institutions on a CKAN based portal, free to browse and query with no key required.
No
✓
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Scoop.it
Automates content curation, publishing and discovery on Scoop.it topics, requiring a free developer app and token before you can call its REST endpoints.
apiKey
✓
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PeakMetrics
Tracks 1.5 million news sites, blogs and social posts with sentiment scoring and narrative trend detection, aimed at enterprise customers rather than a self serve free tier.
apiKey
✓
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University of Oslo
Combines University of Oslo course curricula, study program and organizational unit data into one REST service, open and machine readable under Norway's NLOD license.
No
✓
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Open Data Minneapolis
Publishes City of Minneapolis GIS layers and statistical datasets through an ArcGIS Hub portal, free to query and download with no API key required.
No
✓
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French Address Search
Geocodes and reverse geocodes French addresses and parcels against the national BAN database, free with no key but capped at 50 requests per second per IP.
No
✓
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UPC database
Looks up products by UPC or EAN barcode plus currency and Bitcoin price conversion, requiring a free account token registered through the user dashboard.
apiKey
✓
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Wikipedia
Reads and edits Wikipedia and other Wikimedia wikis through the MediaWiki Action API, free with no key for read access and built in CORS support for browser scripts.
No
✓
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Joshua Project
Catalogs people groups, countries and languages worldwide alongside current missionary activity, requiring a free API key after email verified registration.
apiKey
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Urban Observatory
Streams real time environmental and traffic sensor readings from Newcastle and other UK cities, free to query with no key for standard sensor endpoints.
No
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Nobel Prize
Lists Nobel laureates, prizes and related events back to 1901 as JSON or CSV through the nobelprize.org REST API, free to use with no API key required.
No
✓
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Universities List
Searches university names, domains and countries worldwide, free through Hipo's hosted API for small projects or as a self hosted JSON dataset for heavier use.
No
✓
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Yelp
Searches Yelp business listings, reviews and categories worldwide, now documented at docs.developer.yelp.com and authenticated with a private API key rather than OAuth.
apiKey
✓
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Nasdaq Data Link
Delivers financial, economic and alternative datasets formerly branded as Quandl, with free and premium tables accessed through a REST API and a registered key.
apiKey
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Umeå Open Data
Opens Umeå, Sweden's municipal datasets for maps, charts and exploration through an OpenDataSoft API console, free to query with no key required.
No
✓
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Wikidata
Reads and queries Wikidata's structured knowledge base of items, properties and lexemes via the MediaWiki Action API, free with no key needed for standard lookups.
No
✓
✓
API Setu
Aggregates Indian government APIs for KYC, business registration, education and tax records under one gateway, requiring a free developer account and sandbox access.
apiKey
✓
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Best Open Data APIs for Developers
An open data API allows developers to access publicly available datasets from government agencies, research institutions, and international organizations. These APIs power data journalism, academic research, policy analysis, and public interest applications.
For broad open data, Socrata and OpenCorporates stand out: Socrata aggregates government and NGO datasets with built in CORS support, while OpenCorporates covers company registrations worldwide free for open data projects. Wikidata and Wikipedia's MediaWiki API need no key at all and suit bots or quick lookups. Archive.org gives free access to millions of texts, movies and software for research and preservation work. Recreation Information Database suits US outdoor and travel apps once you register a key. The main pitfall here is freshness: government and nonprofit portals often rebrand or move their API paths, as French address search and Nasdaq Data Link both did, so pin a specific endpoint and check licensing before redistributing data.
What to check before you pick one
Data licensing: Confirm the dataset license (Creative Commons, ODbL, public domain) before using data in commercial products.
Indicator coverage: APIs with broad indicator coverage reduce the need to aggregate data from multiple sources.
Update cadence: Statistical data may be updated annually, quarterly, or monthly; match the API's cadence to your application's freshness requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are open data APIs?
Open data APIs provide programmatic access to publicly available datasets including economic statistics, social indicators, scientific measurements, and government-published data freely available for research and development.
What is data.gov and does it have an API?
Data.gov is the US federal government's open data portal. It provides APIs and downloadable datasets across agriculture, climate, education, energy, and many other domains at no cost.
Can I use World Bank data through an API?
Yes. The World Bank Open Data API is free and covers hundreds of development indicators across hundreds of countries, including GDP, population, literacy, and health metrics going back decades.