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VulDB vs National Vulnerability Database

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

APIVulDBUNMONITORED—National Vulnerability DatabaseNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
AuthapiKeynone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedPublic domain (U.S. Government work)
Free tierFree tier — key may be requiredFree — no key required (free key raises limits)
Rate limitUnpublished5 requests per rolling 30 seconds without an API key (50 with a free key)
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

VulDB vs National Vulnerability Database: common questions

Which is more reliable, VulDB or National Vulnerability Database?

Only National Vulnerability Database is on our probe schedule so far (—% uptime over 90 days). The other is catalogued but not yet live-checked, so we can't compare measured reliability head-to-head — check the uncovered API's own status page for now.

Do VulDB and National Vulnerability Database need an API key?

National Vulnerability Database needs no key, while VulDB requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for National Vulnerability Database first.

Can I call VulDB and National Vulnerability Database from the browser?

Yes — both VulDB and National Vulnerability Database 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 VulDB and National Vulnerability Database free for commercial use?

VulDB has unclear commercial terms, and National Vulnerability Database 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.