Create public APIs for accessing information

Although bulk data (see Provision 19) provides the most basic access to searching and retrieving government data, government bodies can also develop APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, that allow third parties to automatically search, retrieve or submit information directly from databases online (see Open Government Data). Navigating requirements for bulk data and APIs should be done in consultation with people with technical expertise as well as with likely users of the information.

Further reading:

• United States: API Resources for Federal Agencies
• United States: 18f API Standards
• Chicago: Chicago Digital Developer Resources
• Philadelphia: PHL API
• New York City: NYC Developer Portal API Showcase
• Civic.io's "The Promise and Pitfalls of Government APIs"
• Sunlight's "Government APIs Aren't A Backup Plan"
• Sunlight's "Government: Do You Really Need An API?"

Examples of language for this guideline:

Here are examples of the language for this guideline as included in policies on this site. Please note that the selections of text below are imperfect, and you should check out their source policies to read them in context.