Build prototypes faster with FREE-APIS: 50+ categories of free data APIs

Open the FREE-APIS repo (a curated GitHub list of free API docs). It is a big menu grouped by topic. Scroll the categories and grab a URL you can call right now. You skip the “create account to view docs” dance and focus on shipping.

Pick a couple of endpoints to test your stack. For quick wins, I use Agify for simple JSON, open.er-api.com for exchange rates, Jikan for anime data, and CoinCap for crypto. They are all public, no card required.

First install a clean HTTP client so you can hit endpoints fast from a terminal.

bash
pip install httpie

Verify your toolchain and the idea with one request.

bash
http https://api.agify.io name==michael

You should see JSON with an age guess. If that works, try a second call like http https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD to pull exchange rates. Stop here if you only needed a smoke test. The full guide below goes into setup per OS, sample code, caching, and handling rate limits.

Open the FREE-APIS repo (a curated GitHub list of free API docs). It is a big menu grouped by topic. Scroll the categories and grab a URL you can call right now. You skip the “create account to view docs” dance and focus on shipping.

Pick a couple of endpoints to test your stack. For quick wins, I use Agify for simple JSON, open.er-api.com for exchange rates, Jikan for anime data, and CoinCap for crypto. They are all public, no card required.

First install a clean HTTP client so you can hit endpoints fast from a terminal.

bash
pip install httpie

Verify your toolchain and the idea with one request.

bash
http https://api.agify.io name==michael

You should see JSON with an age guess. If that works, try a second call like http https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD to pull exchange rates. Stop here if you only needed a smoke test. The full guide below goes into setup per OS, sample code, caching, and handling rate limits.

Setup

You do not install FREE-APIS. It is a GitHub list you read. What you install is a quick client for making requests and a formatter for JSON.

macOS

• Python and HTTPie

bash
python3 --version || brew install python
pip3 install --upgrade pip
pip3 install httpie

• Optional JSON pretty print

bash
brew install jq

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip curl
pip3 install --user httpie
# ensure ~/.local/bin is on PATH
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Windows

• Install Python from Microsoft Store or use winget

bash
winget install -e --id Python.Python.3.12

• Then install HTTPie

bash
py -m pip install --upgrade pip
py -m pip install httpie

Already have curl

bash
curl --version

Use curl if you prefer. All examples below show both.

Verify

Check HTTPie is on PATH.

bash
http --version

Expected output snippet

3.x.x

Hit three public endpoints to confirm networking and JSON handling.

• Agify

bash
http https://api.agify.io name==michael

Example response

json
{
  "name": "michael",
  "age": 69,
  "count": 145960
}

• Exchange rates

bash
http https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD

Example response keys

json
{
  "result": "success",
  "base_code": "USD",
  "rates": { "EUR": 0.91, "JPY": 157.2 }
}

• Anime data

bash
http https://api.jikan.moe/v4/anime/1

Example response keys

json
{
  "data": {
    "mal_id": 1,
    "title": "Cowboy Bebop",
    "episodes": 26
  }
}

cURL equivalents

bash
curl -s "https://api.agify.io?name=michael"
curl -s https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD
curl -s https://api.jikan.moe/v4/anime/1

Configuration tips

• Make a local scratchpad of working URLs

Create a file apis.txt with endpoints you validated. Keep one per category so you do not waste time next run.

bash
cat > apis.txt << 'EOF'
https://api.agify.io?name=michael
https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD
https://api.jikan.moe/v4/anime/1
https://api.coincap.io/v2/assets/bitcoin
EOF

• Wrap a fetcher with retries and caching

bash
pip install requests requests-cache tenacity

py
# fetch.py
import os
import time
import requests
from tenacity import retry, stop_after_attempt, wait_exponential
import requests_cache

requests_cache.install_cache("api_cache", expire_after=300)

@retry(stop=stop_after_attempt(3), wait=wait_exponential(multiplier=0.5, max=5))
def get_json(url: str):
    r = requests.get(url, timeout=10)
    r.raise_for_status()
    return r.json()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(get_json("https://api.agify.io?name=michael"))
    print(get_json("https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD")["rates"]["EUR"])  # demo

• Centralize API keys even for free tiers

Some links in FREE-APIS use a free API key. Store keys in a .env file and load them. It keeps secrets out of code and lets you swap providers later without edits across the codebase.

bash
pip install python-dotenv

py
# settings.py
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()
EMAIL_API_KEY = os.getenv("EMAIL_API_KEY", "")

• Guard for limits in code

Check HTTP status for 429 and back off. Log the Retry-After header. Do not loop blindly.

py
def safe_get(url):
    r = requests.get(url, timeout=10)
    if r.status_code == 429:
        delay = int(r.headers.get("Retry-After", "2"))
        time.sleep(delay)
        return requests.get(url, timeout=10)
    r.raise_for_status()
    return r

• Keep consistent shapes

When you swap providers, normalize fields at the edge. For example, map any exchange rate payload into { base, rates, ts } before it touches business logic.

Troubleshooting

• 401 or 403 from an endpoint that the list says is free

Some “free” endpoints still need a key or a header. Read the linked docs, search for Authentication, then add the header. Example with a header template

bash
http GET https://example.free.api/v1/data "Authorization:Bearer FREE_KEY_123"

• 429 Too Many Requests when testing in a loop

You hit a rate limit. Add sleeps and caching. Run fewer parallel requests. In shell

bash
for i in $(seq 1 5); do http https://api.agify.io name==michael; sleep 2; done

• SSL certificate verify failed on Windows

Update certs in the Python store

bash
py -m pip install --upgrade certifi
py -m pip install --upgrade requests

If it persists, use curl for quick tests to confirm it is a local Python trust store issue.

When it beats paid API marketplaces

• You are validating an idea this week. You only need one endpoint for email checks and one for rates. FREE-APIS gets you live responses in minutes with no signups.

• You are teaching or learning. Students get working JSON in class without juggling logins and keys. That keeps the focus on parsing and data modeling.

• You want a thin demo in a hackathon. Pull anime data and crypto prices without a billing profile. If the project becomes real, switch to a paid tier later.

• You prefer provider diversity. FREE-APIS helps you sample two or three providers per category before you commit. You avoid vendor lock in while you explore.

Sources