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FIRST News API vs REST Countries

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

APIFIRST News APIHEALTHY85REST CountriesHEALTHY96
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d100%100%
Uptime · 30d100%100%
P50 · ms780328
P95 · ms15951189
Authnonenone
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedMPL-2.0
Free tierFree — limits not publishedUnlimited
Rate limitUnpublishedNone published
In directory since2026-07-052026-05-02
operationalpartialdownno data

FIRST News API vs REST Countries: common questions

Which is more reliable, FIRST News API or REST Countries?

Both are neck-and-neck — FIRST News API and REST Countries each measure 100% uptime over 90 days on our probe schedule. Reliability here is verified from our own scheduled checks; use the 30-day bars above to see which has been steadier lately.

Which is faster, FIRST News API or REST Countries?

REST Countries has the lower median latency in our checks — FIRST News API responds in 780 ms versus REST Countries at 328 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 FIRST News API and REST Countries need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — FIRST News API is callable with no signup, and REST Countries is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call FIRST News API and REST Countries from the browser?

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

Are FIRST News API and REST Countries free for commercial use?

FIRST News API has unclear commercial terms, and REST Countries 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.