OpenAQ

Open air quality data

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API keyHTTPSCORSEnvironment

Verified today: 100% uptime

API key

Required

HTTPS

Supported

Browser calls

Yes, CORS enabled

Status

Live · 100/100

Overview & Architectural Role

OpenAQ provides programmatic access to open air quality data. Delivered over secure HTTPS protocols, it exposes structured endpoints designed to integrate cleanly into modern frontend frameworks, backend microservices, and automated data pipelines without requiring local database provisioning.

Who it is built for

Engineers building web dashboards, mobile applications, CLI utilities, or background cron workers in need of reliable environment data feeds.

Architectural Advantage

Consuming OpenAQ removes the operational overhead of running custom scrapers, orchestrating headless browser fleets, or manually seeding and maintaining a local database. Instead of reverse-engineering volatile DOM layouts or dealing with anti-bot IP blocks, your application connects directly to a standardized JSON interface that supports client-side browser execution out of the box. Dedicated authentication ensures rate quotas and credential tracking per project environment.

What our checks found

Health score: 100/100
Reliability: 100%
Average latency: 330ms

Last checked 2026-10-24. Measured independently, not self-reported by the provider.

Core Use Cases & Architecture Ideas

Practical real-world patterns for integrating OpenAQ into software systems.

Smart Environmental IoT Controller

Feed live atmospheric data from OpenAQ into microcontrollers to dynamically govern heating, cooling, or automated window actuators.

Architecture: Edge device or serverless cron polls OpenAQ every 15 minutes, compares ambient metrics with indoor telemetry, and triggers local relays.

Logistics & Delivery Route Optimization

Adjust dispatch schedules and estimated delivery times dynamically when adverse conditions impact transit zones.

Architecture: A Node.js/Go dispatch worker queries localized status codes along shipping waypoints, dispatching customer updates via webhooks.

Context-Aware Frontend Dashboard Widget

Render dynamic UI themes and localized weather cards tailored to the user's geolocated IP coordinates.

Architecture: React/Next.js frontend fetches telemetry client-side (or through a cached server route) to render live status indicators.

Code Implementation Examples

Production-ready starting templates with error handling for OpenAQ.

// Requires an API key. Check the docs for whether it goes in a header or a query parameter.
// Modern native fetch with error handling
async function callApi() {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://docs.openaq.org/api/v1/resource', {
      method: 'GET',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
      Accept: 'application/json',
    },
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
    }

    const data = await response.json();
    console.log('Response payload:', data);
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('API request failed:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

// callApi();

Response Payload & Live Testing

Inspect the expected JSON structure returned by OpenAQ.

Expected JSON Response Payload

Authentic sample payload structure to evaluate schema attributes before integration.

{
  "status": 200,
  "api": "OpenAQ",
  "endpoint": "/openaq",
  "data": {
    "id": 101,
    "title": "OpenAQ Sample Payload",
    "description": "Open air quality data",
    "verified": true,
    "category": "Environment",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-24T07:39:43.881Z"
  },
  "meta": {
    "response_time_ms": 330,
    "cached": false
  }
}

Format: application/json

Integration Considerations & Best Practices

Technical factors to keep in mind when integrating OpenAQ into production environments.

Implement In-Memory or Edge Caching

Avoid triggering rate limits on public feeds by caching response payloads in Redis, Vercel KV, or standard HTTP Cache-Control headers with a 5-to-15 minute TTL.

Shield Credentials in Backend Route Handlers

Never expose private API keys in client-side JavaScript or bundle environments. Proxy requests through a Next.js API route or serverless backend to keep secret keys out of public DevTools inspection.

Direct Client-Side Browser Support

CORS headers are validated and present on responses. You can safely call this endpoint directly from frontend React, Vue, or static HTML pages without an intermediary proxy server.

Validate HTTP Status Before Parsing JSON

Always inspect response.ok before executing response.json(). Upstream services returning 4xx or 502 Bad Gateway often serve HTML error pages, which cause syntax errors when parsed as JSON.

Where this listing comes from

Open-Meteo is an open-source weather API and offers free access for non-commercial use. No API key required. Start using it now!

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Verified today: 100% uptime

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OpenAQ — common questions

Answered from what our own scheduled checks found, not from the provider's marketing.

Is OpenAQ free to use?

OpenAQ is listed in our free catalogue, but it requires an API key, so you will need to register before your first call. Providers frequently reserve higher limits and commercial use for paid plans.

Does OpenAQ need an API key?

Yes. OpenAQ authenticates with an API key. Keep it server-side rather than in browser code, because anything in your frontend bundle is readable by anyone who opens developer tools.

Can I call OpenAQ from browser JavaScript?

Yes. OpenAQ returned CORS headers when we checked it, so a browser will let your page read the response. You can fetch it directly from client-side JavaScript with no proxy and no backend.

Is OpenAQ still working?

Yes, as of 2026-10-24. Our automated check reached OpenAQ and recorded a 100% reliability score with a median response time of 330 ms. We re-check on a schedule, and this page updates with the result.

Is OpenAQ available over HTTPS?

Yes. OpenAQ serves over HTTPS, so you can call it from a secure page without triggering a mixed-content block.