Coffee vs LAPIS

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d99.02%100%
Uptime · 30d98.3%100%
P50 · ms698524
P95 · ms2826846
Authnonenone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseUnverifiedOpen sequence data (GenBank/Nextstrain-derived); Unverified
Free tierFree — no API keyFree — no key (open instance)
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Coffee vs LAPIS: common questions

Which is more reliable, Coffee or LAPIS?

On our scheduled checks, LAPIS leads on measured uptime — Coffee at 99.02% versus LAPIS at 100% 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, Coffee or LAPIS?

LAPIS has the lower median latency in our checks — Coffee responds in 698 ms versus LAPIS at 524 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 Coffee and LAPIS need an API key?

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

Can I call Coffee and LAPIS from the browser?

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

Are Coffee and LAPIS free for commercial use?

Coffee has unclear commercial terms, and LAPIS 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.