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NPPES vs LAPIS

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

APINPPESNEW—LAPISNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesunclear
Data licenseU.S. Government (public NPI data)Open sequence data (GenBank/Nextstrain-derived); Unverified
Free tierFree — no key requiredFree — no key (open instance)
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

NPPES vs LAPIS: common questions

Which is more reliable, NPPES or LAPIS?

On our scheduled checks, LAPIS leads on measured uptime — NPPES at —% versus LAPIS 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 NPPES and LAPIS need an API key?

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

Can I call NPPES and LAPIS from the browser?

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

Are NPPES and LAPIS free for commercial use?

NPPES allows commercial use on its free tier, and LAPIS 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.