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Archive.org vs Chronicling America

Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.

APIArchive.orgNEW—Chronicling AmericaNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverified (rights vary per item)Public domain / no known copyright (Library of Congress)
Free tierFree — limits not publishedFree — public-domain collection data
Rate limitUnpublishedLoC throttles heavy crawling (see LoC API policy)
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Archive.org vs Chronicling America: common questions

Which is more reliable, Archive.org or Chronicling America?

On our scheduled checks, Chronicling America leads on measured uptime — Archive.org at —% versus Chronicling America at —% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Do Archive.org and Chronicling America need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Archive.org is callable with no signup, and Chronicling America is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Archive.org and Chronicling America from the browser?

Only Archive.org is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Chronicling America needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are Archive.org and Chronicling America free for commercial use?

Archive.org has unclear commercial terms, and Chronicling America allows commercial use on its free tier. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.