LAPIS vs Open Food Facts

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d100%39.2%
Uptime · 30d100%33.3%
P50 · ms5241556
P95 · ms8462836
Authnonenone
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseOpen sequence data (GenBank/Nextstrain-derived); UnverifiedUnverified
Free tierFree — no key (open instance)Free — limits not published
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

LAPIS vs Open Food Facts: common questions

Which is more reliable, LAPIS or Open Food Facts?

On our scheduled checks, LAPIS leads on measured uptime — LAPIS at 100% versus Open Food Facts at 39.2% 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, LAPIS or Open Food Facts?

LAPIS has the lower median latency in our checks — LAPIS responds in 524 ms versus Open Food Facts at 1556 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 LAPIS and Open Food Facts need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — LAPIS is callable with no signup, and Open Food Facts is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call LAPIS and Open Food Facts from the browser?

Only LAPIS is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Open Food Facts needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are LAPIS and Open Food Facts free for commercial use?

LAPIS has unclear commercial terms, and Open Food Facts 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.