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Free APIs for Ruby developers

Ruby's net/http and json libraries ship with the language, so a public API call is a two-line script, and Rails apps can use the same code in a service object.

Call a public API in Ruby

This example calls the Econdb API, which needs no API key. It's a live endpoint: our health check got JSON back from it on Oct 24, 2026.

Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://www.econdb.com/api/")))
puts data

Sending an API key in Ruby

Most free tiers need a key. Read it from an environment variable and send it as a header:

Ruby
uri = URI("https://api.example.com/v1/items")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri, "Authorization" => "Bearer #{ENV.fetch("API_KEY")}")
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
puts JSON.parse(res.body)

Best free APIs for Ruby in 2026

  1. 1Bidledger logo

    Bidledger API

    Online · 279 ms

    Every open public tender in the European Union, rebuilt daily from the official TED data.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 279 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  2. 2Dog Facts logo

    Dog Facts API

    Online · 342 ms

    Random dog facts. A free animals API by dukengn.github.io.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 342 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  3. 3Dog Facts logo

    Dog Facts API

    Online · 356 ms

    Random facts of Dogs. A free animals API by Dog API by kinduff.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 356 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  4. 4Econdb logo

    Econdb API

    Online · 802 ms

    Download economic and shipping data using Python.

    • No API key needed
    • Returns JSON at its URL
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  5. 5Icanhazip logo

    Icanhazip API

    Online · 278 ms

    The family of icanhaz sites help you get more information about your network connection.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 278 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  6. 6Index Agentica logo

    Index Agentica API

    Online · 382 ms

    Agent-first directory of skills, MCP servers, tools, protocols and APIs as JSON, markdown, llms.txt.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 382 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  7. 7ipwhois logo

    ipwhois API

    Online · 226 ms

    IP geolocation with country, city, coordinates, ISP, timezone and flag data.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 226 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  8. 8Microlink.io logo

    Microlink.io API

    Online · 378 ms

    Extract structured data from any website.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 378 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  9. 9NASA POWER logo

    NASA POWER API

    Online · 228 ms

    Global solar and weather data for energy and agriculture.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 228 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  10. 10Open VSX logo

    Open VSX API

    Online · 270 ms

    Search and access VS Code extensions from the Open VSX registry.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 270 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  11. 11OpenSanctions logo

    OpenSanctions API

    Online · 343 ms

    Data on international sanctions, crime and politically exposed persons.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 343 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  12. 12PayCrunch logo

    PayCrunch API

    Online · 278 ms

    US wages for 1,008 occupations and by state, from BLS OEWS May 2025, static JSON, CC BY 4.0.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 278 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  13. 13Presend logo

    Presend API

    Online · 399 ms

    Security and developer utility API -- malware, vulnerability, and domain checks, no signup.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 399 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  14. 14RubyGems logo

    RubyGems API

    Online · 360 ms

    Ruby gem metadata, versions, dependencies and search.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 360 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  15. 15Statically logo

    Statically API

    Online · 324 ms

    A free CDN for developers.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 324 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  16. 16BirkinBagStock logo

    BirkinBagStock API

    Online · 1011 ms

    Independent Hermès resale index: inventory, market prices, auction calendar and results.

    • No API key needed
    • Returns JSON at its URL
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  17. 17DefiLlama logo

    DefiLlama API

    Online · 178 ms

    Open and transparent DeFi data, TVL, coin prices, volumes, and yields.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 178 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  18. 18

    DocStruct API

    Online · 190 ms

    AI extraction of invoices, receipts, bank statements & contracts into structured JSON/CSV.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 190 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  19. 19GBIF logo

    GBIF API

    Online · 115 ms

    Global Biodiversity Information Facility. A free science & math API by gbif.org.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 115 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  20. 20Helium logo

    Helium API

    Online · 377 ms

    News with media bias scoring, balanced news synthesis, live market data, AI options pricing.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 377 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  21. 21L2 Calendar logo

    L2 Calendar API

    Online · 1046 ms

    Lineage 2 private servers list with names, websites, chronicles, rates and opening dates.

    • No API key needed
    • Returns JSON at its URL
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  22. 22Legal Sandbox Georgia logo

    Legal Sandbox Georgia API

    Online · 563 ms

    Find verified legal specialists in Georgia from natural-language queries.

    • No API key needed
    • Returns JSON at its URL
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  23. 23Macrostrat logo

    Macrostrat API

    Online · 694 ms

    Geologic maps, rock columns and stratigraphy data.

    • No API key needed
    • Returns JSON at its URL
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  24. 24Modelfax logo

    Modelfax API

    Online · 328 ms

    LLM pricing, context windows and deprecation dates, schema-validated and updated daily.

    • No API key needed
    • Fast: 328 ms response
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS
  25. 25RemoteOK logo

    RemoteOK API

    Online · 861 ms

    Remote job board for digital nomads.

    • No API key needed
    • Returns JSON at its URL
    • Callable from the browser (CORS)
    • HTTPS
    No authHTTPSCORS

Live JSON endpoints to try

These API URLs returned valid JSON in our latest check, so the Ruby example above works with any of them.

Econdb APIhttps://www.econdb.com/api/
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://www.econdb.com/api/")))
puts data
BirkinBagStock APIhttps://birkinbagstock.com/.well-known/openapi.json
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://birkinbagstock.com/.well-known/openapi.json")))
puts data
L2 Calendar APIhttps://l2calendar.com/api/servers
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://l2calendar.com/api/servers")))
puts data
Legal Sandbox Georgia APIhttps://legal.ge/api/openapi.json
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://legal.ge/api/openapi.json")))
puts data
Macrostrat APIhttps://macrostrat.org/api
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://macrostrat.org/api")))
puts data
RemoteOK APIhttps://remoteok.com/api
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://remoteok.com/api")))
puts data
Veabird APIhttps://veabird.com/api/v1
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://veabird.com/api/v1")))
puts data
Verif Entreprise FR APIhttps://api-production-24833.up.railway.app
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://api-production-24833.up.railway.app")))
puts data
AI Economics Tools APIhttps://piszczek.pl/tools/api
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://piszczek.pl/tools/api")))
puts data
BlazePhoenix APIhttps://blazephoenix.xyz/api
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://blazephoenix.xyz/api")))
puts data
Block Lottos APIhttps://blocklottos.com/openapi.json
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://blocklottos.com/openapi.json")))
puts data
ConnectMeGuru APIhttps://www.connectmeguru.com/api/mcp
Ruby
require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://www.connectmeguru.com/api/mcp")))
puts data
Other languages: Python · JavaScript · Node.js · PHP · Java · Go · C#

Ruby API FAQ

How do I call a REST API in Ruby?

Send an HTTP GET request to the API's URL, check the status code, and parse the JSON body. The working example on this page does exactly that against a live, keyless public API.

Where do I put an API key in Ruby?

Read it from an environment variable and send it in a header (usually Authorization: Bearer …), never hard-coded or committed to git.

Which free APIs work best with Ruby?

This page ranks 25 free APIs that suit Ruby, ordered by ease of access, uptime and developer ratings.