inspirehep.net vs USGS Water Services
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
inspirehep.net vs USGS Water Services: common questions
Which is more reliable, inspirehep.net or USGS Water Services?
On our scheduled checks, inspirehep.net leads on measured uptime — inspirehep.net at 100% versus USGS Water Services at 87.3% 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, inspirehep.net or USGS Water Services?
inspirehep.net has the lower median latency in our checks — inspirehep.net responds in 514 ms versus USGS Water Services at 828 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 inspirehep.net and USGS Water Services need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — inspirehep.net is callable with no signup, and USGS Water Services is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call inspirehep.net and USGS Water Services from the browser?
Yes — both inspirehep.net and USGS Water Services 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 inspirehep.net and USGS Water Services free for commercial use?
inspirehep.net has unclear commercial terms, and USGS Water Services 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.