Hong Kong Observatory vs Website Carbon

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms
P95 · ms
Authnonenone
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseHKO open data (see terms of use)Unverified
Free tierFree, no keyFree keyless byte-based /data endpoint
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Hong Kong Observatory vs Website Carbon: common questions

Which is more reliable, Hong Kong Observatory or Website Carbon?

On our scheduled checks, Website Carbon leads on measured uptime — Hong Kong Observatory at —% versus Website Carbon 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 Hong Kong Observatory and Website Carbon need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Hong Kong Observatory is callable with no signup, and Website Carbon is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Hong Kong Observatory and Website Carbon from the browser?

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

Are Hong Kong Observatory and Website Carbon free for commercial use?

Hong Kong Observatory has unclear commercial terms, and Website Carbon 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.