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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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ExchangeRate-API Has a Free Endpoint — Get Live Currency Rates Without an API Key

#webdev #api #javascript #python

Most currency APIs want your email, your credit card, and a monthly commitment before you can test a single rate. ExchangeRate-API has a free open endpoint that requires none of that.

One URL. No key. 166 currencies. Updated daily.

https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD
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That's it. Call it right now from your terminal:

curl https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD
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You'll get back:

{
  "result": "success",
  "base_code": "USD",
  "time_last_update_utc": "Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:02:31 +0000",
  "time_next_update_utc": "Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:02:31 +0000",
  "rates": {
    "EUR": 0.863827,
    "GBP": 0.747511,
    "JPY": 159.204596,
    "CAD": 1.380053,
    "AUD": 1.438717,
    "CHF": 0.791328,
    "CNY": 7.257342,
    "INR": 84.123456
  }
}
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166 currencies in one request. No auth headers. No rate limit errors to handle.

Change the base currency

Swap USD for any supported currency code:

curl https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/EUR
curl https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/GBP
curl https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/JPY
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The response always gives you rates relative to your chosen base.

Python: currency converter in 15 lines 

import requests

def convert(amount: float, from_currency: str, to_currency: str) -> float:
    url = f"https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/{from_currency.upper()}"
    response = requests.get(url)
    response.raise_for_status()

    data = response.json()

    if data["result"] != "success":
        raise ValueError(f"API error: {data}")

    rate = data["rates"].get(to_currency.upper())
    if not rate:
        raise ValueError(f"Currency not found: {to_currency}")

    return amount * rate

# Examples
print(f"$100 USD = €{convert(100, 'USD', 'EUR'):.2f} EUR")
print(f"£50 GBP = ${convert(50, 'GBP', 'USD'):.2f} USD")
print(f"¥10000 JPY = ${convert(10000, 'JPY', 'USD'):.2f} USD")
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Output:

$100 USD = €86.38 EUR
£50 GBP = $66.93 USD
¥10000 JPY = $62.81 USD
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JavaScript version 

async function convertCurrency(amount, from, to) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/${from.toUpperCase()}`
  );
  const data = await response.json();

  if (data.result !== 'success') {
    throw new Error('API request failed');
  }

  const rate = data.rates[to.toUpperCase()];
  if (!rate) throw new Error(`Unknown currency: ${to}`);

  return (amount * rate).toFixed(2);
}

// Usage
convertCurrency(100, 'USD', 'EUR').then(result => {
  console.log(`$100 USD = €${result} EUR`);
});
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What the time_next_update_utc field tells you

The API updates rates once per day. The time_next_update_utc field shows exactly when the next update happens. Use it to avoid unnecessary calls:

import requests
from datetime import datetime, timezone

def get_rates_with_cache(base: str = "USD") -> dict:
    url = f"https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/{base}"
    data = requests.get(url).json()

    next_update = data["time_next_update_unix"]
    now = datetime.now(timezone.utc).timestamp()

    # Data is fresh — show when it updates next
    minutes_until_refresh = int((next_update - now) / 60)
    print(f"Rates current. Next update in ~{minutes_until_refresh} minutes")

    return data["rates"]

rates = get_rates_with_cache("USD")
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Cache the response and only re-fetch after time_next_update_unix. You'll cut your API calls to 1/day.

Build a multi-currency price display 

import requests

def price_in_currencies(usd_price: float, currencies: list) -> dict:
    data = requests.get("https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD").json()
    rates = data["rates"]

    return {
        currency: round(usd_price * rates[currency], 2)
        for currency in currencies
        if currency in rates
    }

price = price_in_currencies(29.99, ["EUR", "GBP", "JPY", "CAD", "AUD", "INR"])
for currency, amount in price.items():
    print(f"  {currency}: {amount}")
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Output:

  EUR: 25.90
  GBP: 22.43
  JPY: 4773.84
  CAD: 41.38
  AUD: 43.13
  INR: 2522.90
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Free vs. paid

The open endpoint (open.er-api.com) is completely free with no registration. Limitations:

  • Updates: Once per day (sufficient for most apps)
  • Historical data: Not available (paid only)
  • Rate limits: No documented limit, but cache your responses anyway
  • HTTPS: Yes
  • CORS: Yes (usable from browser)

The paid API (v6.exchangerate-api.com) adds historical data, minute-level updates, and higher reliability SLAs. Starting at $9.99/month.

For a portfolio tracker, e-commerce price display, or internal tool — the free endpoint handles it fine.

What it doesn't do

No historical exchange rates on the free tier. If you need "what was EUR/USD on January 15, 2023?" — that's a paid feature. Free alternatives for historical data: Frankfurter API (ECB rates, historical, completely free).

Need live currency data on autopilot? My Exchange Rate Scraper on Apify tracks 170+ currencies — runs on a schedule, no code needed. Email spinov001@gmail.com for custom pipelines.

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