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How to use the Macrostrat API in C#

Geologic maps, rock columns and stratigraphy data. This guide calls it from C# with code we've run against the live endpoint.

Online · 694 msEndpoint tested Oct 24, 2026

1. What you need

.NET 6 or newer. Paste into a top-level `Program.cs` and run `dotnet run`.

No API key or sign-up. Endpoint: https://macrostrat.org/api

2. Make the request

C#
using System.Net.Http;

using var http = new HttpClient { Timeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10) };
var json = await http.GetStringAsync("https://macrostrat.org/api");
Console.WriteLine(json);

3. The response

Trimmed from the live response on Oct 24, 2026.

JSON
{
  "success": {
    "v": 2,
    "description": "This is the root of the Macrostrat API",
    "changelog": "/changes",
    "license": "CC-BY 4.0. More info at /meta",
    "routes": {
      "/columns": "Search and summarize columns based on unit properties or geographic location",
      "/sections": "Summarize units by gap-bound packages",
      "/units": "all Macrostrat units matching search criteria",
      "/fossils": "Paleobiology Database (http://paleobiodb.org) collections matched to Macrostr...",
      "/stats": "statistics about the Macrostrat database",
      "/paleogeography": "Returns paleogeography geometry from \"Wright et al. (2013) Towards community-...",
      "/geologic_units/map": "Geologic map units from various data sources",
      "/geologic_units/map/points": "Query point features from geologic maps",
      "/geologic_units/map/legend": "Retrieve legends for geologic map units",
      "/measurements": "measurements",
      "/age_model": "Get all components of column age models; mostly unit_boundaries but can inclu...",
      "/eodp": "eODP Macrostrat Baggage Stripper Import"
    }
  }
}

4. Before you ship

  • Set a timeout and handle non-200 responses: free APIs can rate-limit or go down.
  • Cache responses where you can, instead of calling the API on every page view.
  • Read the official documentation ↗ for rate limits and terms of use.

FAQ

Does the Macrostrat API need an API key in C#?

No. The Macrostrat API works without an API key, so the C# example runs as-is.

Can I call the Macrostrat API from the browser?

Yes. It sends CORS headers, so front-end JavaScript can call it directly.

What does the Macrostrat API return?

JSON. The example response on this page is trimmed from a real response our health check received on Oct 24, 2026.

Same API in: Python · JavaScript · Node.js · PHP · Java · Go · Ruby
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