specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: US Department of Commerce
providerId: us-department-of-commerce
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Federal Government
  - Open Data
  - Trade
  - Economic Data
description: Most U.S. Department of Commerce APIs (Census, NOAA, NIST, BIS, ITA, BEA) are free public services fronted by api.data.gov. There is no commercial pricing. Access is gated by a free API key with default per-key hourly request limits, and the DEMO_KEY allows limited unauthenticated trial use.
sources:
  - https://api.data.gov/docs/developer-manual/
  - https://api.data.gov/about/
plans:
  - id: us-department-of-commerce-public
    name: Public API Key (api.data.gov)
    type: freemium
    description: Free public access via api.data.gov. Sign up for a personal API key to get the standard hourly rate limit; DEMO_KEY is available for evaluation with much tighter caps.
    entries:
      - label: API Key Signup
        name: api_key
        type: flat
        metric: request
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0'
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: Default Hourly Rate Limit
        name: default_hourly_limit
        type: quota
        metric: request
        limit: 1000
        timeFrame: hour
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0'
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: DEMO_KEY Per-IP Hourly
        name: demo_key_hourly
        type: quota
        metric: request
        limit: 30
        timeFrame: hour
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0'
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: DEMO_KEY Per-IP Daily
        name: demo_key_daily
        type: quota
        metric: request
        limit: 50
        timeFrame: day
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0'
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Census Bureau APIs
      - name: NOAA APIs
      - name: NIST APIs
      - name: BEA APIs
      - name: International Trade Administration APIs
      - name: api.data.gov Shared Gateway
      - name: Self-Serve API Key Signup
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com
x-canonical:
  generated: '2026-10-08'
  vocabulary: all/0-working/economics/plans-canonical.yml
  models:
  - subscription
  units:
  - request
  plans:
  - name: Public API Key (api.data.gov)
    access: freemium
    model: subscription
    model_how: derived
    units:
    - request
    periods:
    - day
    - hour
    - per-use