aid: the-index-fyi
name: The Index
description: >-
  theindex.fyi is a maintained meta-index of indie web and small web index
  sites — a curated catalog of curated catalogs. It tracks ~40 indexes
  spanning six categories (curated directories, RSS / feed aggregators,
  search engines, random-discovery tools, constraint-based clubs, and
  IndieWeb infrastructure), and exposes the catalog through a public,
  read-only JSON:API.
type: Index
position: Provider
access: 3rd-Party
image: https://kinlane-productions.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
  - Indie Web
  - Small Web
  - Directories
  - Search
  - RSS
  - Webrings
  - Open Data
  - JSON:API
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/the-index-fyi/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-05-23'
modified: '2026-05-23'
specificationVersion: '0.20'
apis:
  - aid: the-index-fyi:indexes
    name: The Index Public API
    description: >-
      Public, read-only API listing every active index in theindex.fyi.
      Responses follow JSON:API 1.1 (`application/vnd.api+json`) and
      include filterable / paginated collection endpoints plus single-
      resource lookups by slug. Rate-limited to 60 requests / minute per
      IP, with standard `X-RateLimit-*` and `Retry-After` headers.
    humanURL: https://theindex.fyi/api/docs
    baseURL: https://theindex.fyi/api
    version: '1.0'
    tags:
      - Indexes
      - Curated Directories
      - RSS Aggregators
      - Search Engines
      - Random Discovery
      - Constraint-Based Clubs
      - IndieWeb Infrastructure
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://theindex.fyi/api/docs
      - type: OpenAPI
        url: openapi/the-index-fyi-openapi.yml
      - type: OpenAPI
        url: openapi/the-index-fyi-openapi.json
      - type: HumanURL
        url: https://theindex.fyi/
      - type: AboutUs
        url: https://theindex.fyi/about
    features:
      - name: List Indexes
        description: Paginated, filterable collection of all active indexes (`/indexes`).
      - name: Get Index by Slug
        description: Retrieve a single index by its URL-safe slug (`/indexes/{slug}`).
      - name: Filter by Category
        description: Filter the collection by category (`curated_directories`, `rss_aggregators`, `search_engines`, `random_discovery`, `constraint_based_clubs`, `indieweb_infrastructure`).
      - name: Filter by Language
        description: Filter the collection by primary language code.
      - name: JSON:API 1.1
        description: Responses follow the JSON:API 1.1 spec with `data`, `links`, and `meta` envelopes.
      - name: Rate Limit Headers
        description: 60 requests / minute / IP, with `X-RateLimit-Limit`, `X-RateLimit-Remaining`, and `Retry-After` headers on every response.
      - name: Header-Based Versioning Plan
        description: API is currently unversioned; if breaking changes are needed, an `API-Version` request header will be introduced (no URL prefix changes).
    useCases:
      - name: IndieWeb Discovery
        description: Power directories, dashboards, and search clients that surface indie / small-web entry points.
      - name: Newsletter and Aggregator Tooling
        description: Pull the latest set of indexes into newsletters and feed dashboards.
      - name: Research and Catalog Analysis
        description: Track the indie / small-web ecosystem over time as a primary data source.
    integrations:
      - name: IndieWeb
      - name: Webrings
      - name: ooh.directory
      - name: Marginalia Search
      - name: Kagi Small Web
    authentication:
      - type: None
        description: Public read-only API. No API key required.
common:
  - type: Website
    url: https://theindex.fyi/
  - type: AboutUs
    url: https://theindex.fyi/about
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://theindex.fyi/api/docs
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/the-index-fyi-openapi.yml
  - type: Plan
    url: plans/the-index-fyi-plans-pricing.yml
  - type: Rate Limit
    url: rate-limits/the-index-fyi-rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: finops/the-index-fyi-finops.yml
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com