name: OpenSky Network REST API Rate Limits
description: Rate limits for the OpenSky Network REST API are implemented via a credit system. Credits are consumed per request based on geographic bounding box size (for state vectors) or time range (for flight and track queries). Separate daily or hourly credit buckets apply per account tier.
url: https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/rest.html
rateLimits:

  - name: Anonymous Daily Credits
    description: Unauthenticated callers receive 400 API credits refreshed each day.
    limit: 400
    unit: day
    tier: Anonymous

  - name: Standard User Daily Credits
    description: Registered authenticated users receive 4,000 API credits refreshed each day.
    limit: 4000
    unit: day
    tier: Standard

  - name: Active Feeder Daily Credits
    description: Authenticated users whose ADS-B receiver achieves at least 30% uptime in the current month receive 8,000 API credits refreshed each day.
    limit: 8000
    unit: day
    tier: Active Feeder

  - name: Licensed User Hourly Credits
    description: Commercially licensed users receive 14,400 API credits refreshed every hour, enabling sustained high-frequency access.
    limit: 14400
    unit: hour
    tier: Licensed

creditCosts:
  statesAll:
    description: Credit cost for GET /states/all requests based on bounding box area in square degrees.
    tiers:
      - condition: Bounding box <= 25 sq deg or serial queries
        credits: 1
      - condition: Bounding box 25–100 sq deg
        credits: 2
      - condition: Bounding box 100–400 sq deg
        credits: 3
      - condition: Bounding box > 400 sq deg or global query
        credits: 4

  flightsAndTracks:
    description: Credit cost for GET /flights/* and GET /tracks requests based on number of day partitions crossed in the queried time range.
    tiers:
      - condition: Live query or less than 24 hours
        credits: 4
      - condition: 1–2 day partitions
        credits: 30
      - condition: 3–10 day partitions
        credits: 60
        perPartition: true
      - condition: 11–25 day partitions
        credits: 480
        perPartition: true
      - condition: More than 25 day partitions
        credits: 960
        perPartition: true

headers:
  - name: X-Rate-Limit-Remaining
    description: Number of API credits remaining in the current period.
  - name: X-Rate-Limit-Retry-After-Seconds
    description: Seconds to wait before retrying after receiving a 429 Too Many Requests response.

errors:
  - code: 429
    message: Too Many Requests
    description: Returned when the caller has exhausted their available API credits for the current period.

exemptions:
  - endpoint: /states/own
    description: Retrieving state vectors from the caller's own ADS-B sensors is not subject to rate limiting or credit costs.