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AviationWeather vs Bright Sky (DWD)

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

APIAviationWeatherHEALTHY64Bright Sky (DWD)HEALTHY72
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d93.1%99.02%
Uptime · 30d91.7%98.3%
P50 · ms450656
P95 · ms47343349
Authnonenone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesunclear
Data licensePublic domain (U.S. Government / NOAA)Unverified
Free tierFree, no keyUnlimited, no key, no credit card
Rate limitUnpublished (NWS requests reasonable use)Unpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

AviationWeather vs Bright Sky (DWD): common questions

Which is more reliable, AviationWeather or Bright Sky (DWD)?

On our scheduled checks, Bright Sky (DWD) leads on measured uptime — AviationWeather at 93.1% versus Bright Sky (DWD) at 99.02% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Which is faster, AviationWeather or Bright Sky (DWD)?

AviationWeather has the lower median latency in our checks — AviationWeather responds in 450 ms versus Bright Sky (DWD) at 656 ms (P50). Tail latency (P95) is in the table above; for most workloads the median is the number that shapes how the API feels.

Do AviationWeather and Bright Sky (DWD) need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — AviationWeather is callable with no signup, and Bright Sky (DWD) is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call AviationWeather and Bright Sky (DWD) from the browser?

Only Bright Sky (DWD) is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. AviationWeather needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are AviationWeather and Bright Sky (DWD) free for commercial use?

AviationWeather allows commercial use on its free tier, and Bright Sky (DWD) has unclear commercial terms. 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.