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Chronicling America vs Urlbox API

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

APIChronicling AmericaNEW—Urlbox APINEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
AuthnoneapiKey
CORSnono
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesunclear
Data licensePublic domain / no known copyright (Library of Congress)Unverified
Free tierFree — public-domain collection dataFree tier — API key required
Rate limitLoC throttles heavy crawling (see LoC API policy)Unpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Chronicling America vs Urlbox API: common questions

Which is more reliable, Chronicling America or Urlbox API?

On our scheduled checks, Urlbox API leads on measured uptime — Chronicling America at —% versus Urlbox API 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 Chronicling America and Urlbox API need an API key?

Chronicling America needs no key, while Urlbox API requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Chronicling America first.

Can I call Chronicling America and Urlbox API from the browser?

Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call Chronicling America and Urlbox API from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.

Are Chronicling America and Urlbox API free for commercial use?

Chronicling America allows commercial use on its free tier, and Urlbox API 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.