specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: 4chan
providerId: 4chan
created: '2026-05-28'
modified: '2026-05-28'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Social
  - Imageboard
  - Read Only
  - Free
description: >-
  The 4chan Read-Only JSON API is provided free of charge with no commercial
  tiers, API keys, or paid quotas. All access is anonymous and subject only to
  the published rate limits (see rate-limits/) and the 4chan API Terms of
  Service. The only money-flowing surface 4chan operates is the consumer-facing
  "4chan Pass" (a site-wide CAPTCHA bypass for posters on boards.4chan.org),
  which is not part of the JSON API surface and is therefore documented here for
  completeness only.
sources:
  - https://github.com/4chan/4chan-API
  - https://github.com/4chan/4chan-API#api-terms-of-service
  - https://www.4chan.org/pass
plans:
  - id: 4chan-readonly-json-api-free
    name: Read-Only JSON API — Free
    type: freemium
    description: >-
      The default and only access mode for the 4chan Read-Only JSON API. Free,
      anonymous, no signup, no API key, subject to the 1 request/sec and
      10 seconds-per-thread polling floor.
    entries:
      - label: HTTP GET requests
        name: requests
        type: metered
        metric: request
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0.00'
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: All 6 read-only endpoints (boards, threadlist, catalog, archive, index pages, threads)
      - name: HTTP and HTTPS support
      - name: CORS allowed from boards.4chan.org and boards.4channel.org
      - name: No authentication required
      - name: If-Modified-Since caching supported
  - id: 4chan-pass-consumer
    name: 4chan Pass (consumer, not API)
    type: subscription
    description: >-
      Consumer-facing site pass that bypasses CAPTCHA on boards.4chan.org for
      human posters. Not part of the JSON API surface — included for context
      only. Pricing per the 4chan Pass page.
    entries:
      - label: 1-year Pass
        name: pass_1year
        type: subscription
        metric: year
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: year
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: see https://www.4chan.org/pass
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: CAPTCHA bypass on posting (web site only, not API)
      - name: No effect on the read-only JSON API access surface