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FoodData Central vs Healthcare.gov

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

APIFoodData CentralNEW—Healthcare.govNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
AuthapiKeynone
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedU.S. Government content (CMS)
Free tierFree tier — API key may be required for productionFree — no key required
Rate limit10 req/window · 9 remainingUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

FoodData Central vs Healthcare.gov: common questions

Which is more reliable, FoodData Central or Healthcare.gov?

On our scheduled checks, Healthcare.gov leads on measured uptime — FoodData Central at —% versus Healthcare.gov 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 FoodData Central and Healthcare.gov need an API key?

Healthcare.gov needs no key, while FoodData Central requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Healthcare.gov first.

Can I call FoodData Central and Healthcare.gov from the browser?

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

Are FoodData Central and Healthcare.gov free for commercial use?

FoodData Central has unclear commercial terms, and Healthcare.gov 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.