Launch catalog / Playbook

Public APIs (publicapis.dev)

publicapis.dev ↗

Free route directory

Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-26. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.

Requirements

  • Product must expose a PUBLIC API — self-serve (no waitlists, betas, 'contact sales' gates); a stranger must reach a working API call from the docs alone
  • Free, freemium, or paid APIs all welcome — 'public' means anyone can sign up and call it
  • Must be a product in its own right on a custom domain (no vercel.app/github.io-style shared subdomains)
  • Docs must state Auth and CORS behaviour — unverifiable Auth/CORS disqualifies
  • https:// URLs only, no query params, link to the API homepage (not deep docs links)
  • Two routes: (a) GitHub PR to marcelscruz/public-apis editing README.md (never /db — auto-generated), or (b) the site's own Submit button after sign-in
  • Websites/SDKs/CLIs with no connectable API belong in devresourc.es instead

Prepare before opening the form

  • API homepage URL (https, custom domain, no query string)
  • One-line description
  • Correct Auth value: OAuth | apiKey | X-Mashape-Key | No | User-Agent
  • CORS value: Yes | No | Unknown
  • Best-fit category from their list (e.g. Development, AI, Data Validation)
  • GitHub account for the PR route

Workflow

  1. GitHub route: fork marcelscruz/public-apis, add your row to README.md in the right category keeping alphabetical order, column padding, format '| [Name](https://url) | Description | Auth | CORS |'
  2. PR title format 'Add <Name> API'; one link per PR; don't include the TLD in the name
  3. An automated reviewer bot may comment/approve/close; maintainer does final merge
  4. Merged PRs surface on publicapis.dev (site screenshot generated from the linked homepage)
  5. Alternative: sign in on publicapis.dev and use the Submit nav button (client-side form — details unverified)

Watch for

  • Strict 'no billboard' rule — pure marketing PRs are closed; the API must be real and connectable
  • Never edit the /db folder — auto-generated; changes belong in README.md
  • Duplicate/relisted APIs rejected — search closed PRs and issues first
  • This is an API directory, not a product launch board — SaaS without a public API doesn't fit

What counts as live

The API appears as a row in the public-apis README.md table and/or a card on publicapis.dev under its category with name, description, Auth, and CORS fields

Not verified

  • Whether the on-site Submit form (behind sign-in) is the preferred current route vs. the GitHub PR
  • Whether listing links on publicapis.dev are dofollow
  • Review turnaround time for PRs

Sources

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