🚀 Useful Public APIs Every Developer Should Know (With Categories & Free Limits)
Vishnu Kalanad4 min read
Looking to supercharge your side project, prototype an idea quickly, or just explore what's out there? Here's a categorized list of incredibly useful public APIs for various project needs — with descriptions, usage limits, and links to official docs.
🌐 Web Search & News APIs
| API Name | Description | Free Tier Limit | Authentication | Docs Link |
| NewsAPI | Fetch news from various global sources. | 500 requests/day | API Key | https://newsapi.org/docs |
| Currents API | Real-time news and trending topics. | 100 requests/day | API Key | https://currentsapi.services/en/docs/ |
| Bing News | Microsoft-powered news search. | 3 requests/sec | API Key | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/search-apis/bing-news-search/overview |
| Google Custom Search | Web & site-specific search. | 100 queries/day | API Key | https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/overview |
| DuckDuckGo | Privacy-first web search. | Unlimited | None | https://duckduckgo.com/api |
🗺️ Maps & Geolocation APIs
| API Name | Description | Free Tier Limit | Authentication | Docs Link |
| OpenStreetMap | Community-maintained map data. | No strict limit | None | https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OpenStreetMap_API |
| Mapbox | Maps, routing & geocoding. | 50,000 requests/month | API Key | https://docs.mapbox.com/api/ |
| OpenCage | Forward & reverse geocoding. | 2,500 requests/day | API Key | https://opencagedata.com/api |
| Geoapify | Maps, POI, routing, geocoding. | 3,000 requests/day | API Key | https://apidocs.geoapify.com/ |
| Positionstack | Real-time location services. | 25,000 requests/month | API Key | https://positionstack.com/documentation |
💬 Communication APIs
| API Name | Description | Free Tier Limit | Authentication | Docs Link |
| Twilio | SMS, Voice, WhatsApp, OTPs. | Free credits | API Key | https://www.twilio.com/docs/usage/api |
| SendGrid | Transactional and marketing emails. | 100 emails/day | API Key | https://docs.sendgrid.com/api-reference/ |
| Mailgun | Email automation and analytics. | 5,000 emails/month | API Key | https://documentation.mailgun.com/en/latest/api_reference.html |
| Pusher | Real-time communication, pub/sub. | Free plan available | API Key | https://pusher.com/docs |
| Slack | Integrate with Slack messaging. | Free tier | API Key | https://api.slack.com/ |
🛍️ E-commerce APIs
| API Name | Description | Free Tier Limit | Authentication | Docs Link |
| Amazon PA API | Access product listings & data. | 1,000 requests/month | API Key | https://webservices.amazon.com/paapi5/documentation/ |
| eBay API | Search and list items programmatically. | 5,000 requests/day | API Key | https://developer.ebay.com/api-docs |
| Walmart API | Access product data & reviews. | 5,000 requests/day | API Key | https://developer.walmart.com/ |
| Etsy API | Product listings and shops. | 5,000 requests/day | API Key | https://developers.etsy.com/documentation/ |
| Shopify API | Storefront & backend integration. | Unlimited (varies) | API Key | https://shopify.dev/docs/api |
💻 Developer Tools APIs
| API Name | Description | Free Tier Limit | Authentication | Docs Link |
| GitHub | Access repos, issues, users. | 5,000 req/hour | OAuth or Token | https://docs.github.com/en/rest |
| GitLab | Repo management and CI/CD. | 10 reqs/sec | OAuth or Token | https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/ |
| Bitbucket | Repos and project collaboration. | 1,000 reqs/hour | OAuth | https://developer.atlassian.com/bitbucket/api/2/reference/ |
| Stack Exchange | Query questions and answers. | 300 reqs/day | API Key | https://api.stackexchange.com/docs |
| Firebase | Auth, Firestore, analytics & more. | Varies | API Key | https://firebase.google.com/docs/reference |
🌦️ Weather & Environment APIs
| API Name | Description | Free Tier Limit | Authentication | Docs Link |
| OpenWeather | Weather forecast and current data. | 60 calls/min | API Key | https://openweathermap.org/api |
| WeatherAPI | Historical & real-time weather data. | 1,000,000 reqs/month | API Key | https://www.weatherapi.com/docs/ |
| Ambee | Air quality, pollen, and weather data. | Limited free tier | API Key | https://docs.getambee.com/ |
| Visual Crossing | Accurate forecasts, history, bulk downloads. | 1,000 results/day | API Key | https://www.visualcrossing.com/weather-api |
| Tomorrow.io | Hyper-local weather and environmental data. | 1,000 requests/day | API Key | https://docs.tomorrow.io/docs |
| Climacell (Now Tomorrow.io) | Weather API with aviation focus. | Deprecated (migrated) | — | Migrated to Tomorrow.io |
| Weatherbit.io | Real-time, forecast, and historical data. | 500 requests/day | API Key | https://www.weatherbit.io/api |
| AccuWeather | Trusted forecasts, radar & lifestyle indices. | Free tier with trial | API Key | https://developer.accuweather.com/apis |
| AirVisual API | Global air quality data and weather info. | Limited free usage | API Key | https://www.iqair.com/world-air-quality-api |
| Met.no (Norwegian Meteorological Institute) | Accurate weather from Europe | No auth required | None | https://api.met.no/weatherapi/locationforecast/2.0/documentation |
✍️ Final Thoughts
These APIs can accelerate your app development and offer tons of integration potential. If you're just exploring, start with free plans and upgrade only if you need higher volume or advanced features.
Have another API that saved you time? Drop it in the comments.
Follow me on Hashnode and GitHub for more developer resources.
Happy hacking!
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