Federal Register vs ONS
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Federal Register vs ONS: common questions
Which is more reliable, Federal Register or ONS?
On our scheduled checks, ONS leads on measured uptime — Federal Register at 98.0% versus ONS 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, Federal Register or ONS?
Federal Register has the lower median latency in our checks — Federal Register responds in 478 ms versus ONS at 732 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 Federal Register and ONS need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — Federal Register is callable with no signup, and ONS is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call Federal Register and ONS from the browser?
Yes — both Federal Register and ONS send CORS headers over HTTPS, so front-end code can fetch either directly with no backend proxy. That makes them easy to swap in a client-side app while you compare responses.
Are Federal Register and ONS free for commercial use?
Federal Register allows commercial use on its free tier, and ONS 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.