As a developer, I’ve learned that knowing the right public APIs can transform how fast and well you build features. APIs save you from reinventing the wheel, letting you leverage expert services and data with just a few lines of code. In 2025, public APIs power everything from payments to weather, video, AI, and even space exploration.
Over the years, I’ve tried many APIs, but some stand out for their reliability, usefulness, and ease of integration. Whether you’re building a hobby project or a full-scale app, these 10 APIs are must-knows. I’ll walk you through each, share why I like them, and how you might use them.
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Why Public APIs Matter for Developers
Public APIs are like building blocks that let you add powerful features to your apps without starting from zero. Whether you want to accept payments, show real-time weather, fetch images, or use AI, there’s likely a public API for it.
Learning to use these APIs not only speeds up development but also teaches you how to work with data, handle requests, and integrate services skills every developer needs today.
Below, you’ll find 10 essential public APIs that are widely used and reliable in 2025. These can help you build anything from simple projects to complex applications faster and smarter.
1. Stripe API — Simplifying Payments and Subscriptions
When I first started adding payment features to my apps, it felt like a headache handling credit cards, subscriptions, taxes, and security felt overwhelming. That’s why Stripe has become a go-to.
- What it does: Stripe’s API allows you to securely accept payments, manage subscriptions, create invoices, and handle refunds.
- Why it’s great: The documentation is fantastic, with clear examples in many languages. They handle PCI compliance and fraud detection, so you don’t have to worry about the security details.
- How I use it: In a recent project, I integrated Stripe to allow users to subscribe to premium content. The recurring billing system was super simple to set up, and I could even customize the checkout experience with Stripe’s pre-built UI components.
- Tip: If you want to experiment without risk, Stripe offers a sandbox environment with test cards and data.
2. OpenWeatherMap API — Real-Time Weather Data for Any Location
Weather might seem simple, but it’s surprisingly complex. The OpenWeatherMap API provides tons of useful data that can make your app smarter and more engaging.
- What it does: Offers current weather, 5-day and 16-day forecasts, air pollution data, and weather alerts for locations worldwide.
- Why it’s awesome: The free tier is generous, and data updates frequently. Plus, the JSON response is well-structured and easy to parse.
- My favorite use case: I added a weather widget to a travel blog I maintain. Visitors instantly see the weather of the city they’re reading about, which adds context and keeps the content fresh.
- Pro tip: Combine OpenWeatherMap with Google Maps API to show weather info directly on the map.
3. GitHub API — Unlock the Power of Your Code Repositories
GitHub isn’t just for hosting code its API is a powerful tool for automation and insights.
- What it does: Access repositories, pull requests, issues, commits, user profiles, and much more.
- Why I find it useful: I’ve built custom dashboards that track team activity, open issue counts, and PR reviews, helping my team stay organized.
- Cool example: Automated bots that comment on stale issues or remind reviewers about pending PRs.
- Insider tip: Use GitHub Actions in tandem with the API for seamless automation within your repos.
4. Unsplash API — Beautiful Photos with Zero Hassle
Every project looks better with great images, but finding photos that are free, high-quality, and legal to use can be tricky. Unsplash solves that.
- What it offers: Access to over a million high-resolution, royalty-free images.
- Why I love it: The API is super simple just request images by keyword, and get beautiful photos instantly.
- How I use it: I built a simple inspirational quote app that pairs quotes with relevant Unsplash images, making the app visually appealing without any design work on my side.
- Helpful hint: Respect attribution guidelines, even though the images are free to use.
5. YouTube Data API — Tap into the World’s Largest Video Platform
Videos dominate online content, and YouTube is the biggest player. Their Data API lets you interact with this vast ecosystem programmatically.
- What you can do: Search for videos, get video details, manage playlists, upload videos, and access channel analytics.
- Why it’s powerful: If your app needs video content, this API opens endless possibilities.
- Personal use: I once created an app that recommends tutorials based on user input — pulling relevant YouTube videos dynamically.
- Heads up: The API uses quotas, so plan your calls carefully, especially if you’re building high-traffic apps.
6. NewsAPI & CoinGecko — Real-Time News and Crypto Market Data
Two very different APIs but both invaluable if your app needs current information.
- NewsAPI: Fetches headlines and articles from thousands of news sources worldwide.
- CoinGecko: Provides detailed crypto prices, market caps, volume, and coin metadata.
- Why they’re useful: Both keep your app’s content fresh without manual updates.
- My experience: I combined these two for a dashboard that tracks both world news and crypto markets, making it a one-stop info hub.
- Pro tip: Filter NewsAPI queries by language, region, or topic for relevant news feeds.
7. NASA API — Bringing the Universe to Your Fingertips
NASA’s API is a goldmine for anyone who wants to add something unique and inspiring.
- What’s available: Access to astronomy pictures of the day, satellite imagery, Mars rover photos, and more.
- Why I’m a fan: It adds an element of wonder to projects and the data is free and well-maintained.
- Example: I built a “space fact of the day” widget that pairs NASA’s picture of the day with interesting facts — it’s been a hit among friends and students.
- Bonus: The API supports multiple endpoints, so you can mix and match data.
8. OpenAI API — The AI Powerhouse in Your Hands
AI is no longer the future — it’s the present. OpenAI’s API unlocks access to state-of-the-art language models.
- Capabilities: Chatbots, text completion, summarization, code generation, semantic search with embeddings, and more.
- Why I use it: It saves me time with everything from drafting emails to generating code snippets and creating interactive chatbots.
- Practical use: I built a simple chatbot for customer FAQs that reduced support requests dramatically.
- Advice: Monitor your API usage carefully since costs can add up depending on volume.
9. Google Maps API — Location, Maps, and Directions Simplified
Location-based apps are everywhere, and Google Maps remains the best option for many developers.
- What it offers: Interactive maps, place search, geocoding, route planning, and real-time traffic.
- Why I recommend it: The coverage is global, and the data quality is top-notch.
- Use case: In a recent delivery app, I integrated route optimization and real-time driver tracking, making the logistics smooth.
- Tip: Explore the Places API for location autocomplete it greatly improves user input experience.
10. Public Transit APIs — Making Travel Smarter
Many cities expose their public transit data through APIs. These are perfect for travel and urban apps.
- What they do: Provide live updates on bus/train arrivals, route info, and service alerts.
- Why they’re valuable: Real-time transit info can transform how people navigate cities.
- How I used it: I helped build a city guide app that integrates live bus schedules and alerts, which locals appreciated.
- Pro tip: Check your city’s transit authority website many offer free APIs or data feeds.
Final Thoughts
Using these public APIs can elevate your projects with features that would otherwise take weeks or months to build. Plus, they’re a great way to learn and experiment with real-world data and services.
If you’re new to APIs, start small pick one or two from this list and build something simple. If you’re experienced, look for ways to combine multiple APIs to create richer experiences.
Using these public APIs can add powerful features to your projects without building everything from scratch. They’re perfect for learning and experimenting with real-world data.
If you’re new to APIs, start simple pick one or two from this list and build something small. If you’re more experienced, try combining multiple APIs for richer apps.
Also, consider using Apidog. It’s a great all-in-one tool for designing, testing, and documenting APIs. Apidog helps you work faster and collaborate better by keeping your API workflow smooth and organized.
By mixing these public APIs with smart tools like Apidog, you can create apps that are both powerful and easy to build.
Top comments (4)
Awesome list! Thank you Emmanuel!
Great list! Public APIs truly speed up development and open up so many possibilities. Stripe and OpenWeatherMap have been game changers in my projects too. I especially love how APIs let us focus on building features instead of reinventing the wheel. Thanks for sharing these essential tools for 2025!
Thank you sir, good read.
Thanks for sharing!