NASA APOD vs USGS Water Services

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms
P95 · ms
AuthapiKeynone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesyes
Data licensePublic domain (US Gov)Public domain (U.S. Government work)
Free tier1,000 req/hour with free keyFree — no API key required
Rate limitDEMO_KEY: 30/hour, 50/dayUnpublished
In directory since2026-05-022026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

NASA APOD vs USGS Water Services: common questions

Which is more reliable, NASA APOD or USGS Water Services?

On our scheduled checks, USGS Water Services leads on measured uptime — NASA APOD at —% versus USGS Water Services 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 NASA APOD and USGS Water Services need an API key?

USGS Water Services needs no key, while NASA APOD requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for USGS Water Services first.

Can I call NASA APOD and USGS Water Services from the browser?

Yes — both NASA APOD 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 NASA APOD and USGS Water Services free for commercial use?

NASA APOD allows commercial use on its free tier, 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.