Sunrise-Sunset vs UK Carbon Intensity

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d99.02%100%
Uptime · 30d98.3%100%
P50 · ms204789
P95 · ms22061948
Authnonenone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licensen/aCC BY 4.0 (per API docs)
Free tierUnlimited, attribution requestedFree — no API key
Rate limitNo burst trafficUnpublished
In directory since2026-06-222026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Sunrise-Sunset vs UK Carbon Intensity: common questions

Which is more reliable, Sunrise-Sunset or UK Carbon Intensity?

On our scheduled checks, UK Carbon Intensity leads on measured uptime — Sunrise-Sunset at 99.02% versus UK Carbon Intensity at 100% 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, Sunrise-Sunset or UK Carbon Intensity?

Sunrise-Sunset has the lower median latency in our checks — Sunrise-Sunset responds in 204 ms versus UK Carbon Intensity at 789 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 Sunrise-Sunset and UK Carbon Intensity need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Sunrise-Sunset is callable with no signup, and UK Carbon Intensity is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Sunrise-Sunset and UK Carbon Intensity from the browser?

Yes — both Sunrise-Sunset and UK Carbon Intensity 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 Sunrise-Sunset and UK Carbon Intensity free for commercial use?

Sunrise-Sunset has unclear commercial terms, and UK Carbon Intensity 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.