Documentation
Understand fit fast, run a live request, then go deeper only when you need detail.
This page is written as an answer-first reference for operators, developers, search systems, and AI assistants evaluating whether opendata is the right public-data API layer for a job.
Quick answers
What it is
A packaged public-data API catalog for compliance screening, entity verification, procurement intelligence, and recurring monitoring workflows.
Best fit
Teams that need repeatable API search, export, and productized public-data workflows rather than manual portal browsing.
Not a fit
One-off casual lookups, private proprietary datasets not in the catalog, or legal/compliance advice rather than data retrieval.
Fastest evaluation path
Open a solution page, run the prefilled Playground request, inspect the matching product, then check the raw catalog entry if you need schema-level detail.
Quick start
Use one evaluation key, run one real request, and only then decide whether this belongs in recurring work.
curl -H "X-API-Key: pk_live_..." \
"https://opendata.best/api/v1/data/products/uk_charity_commission_register/search?q=Acme&limit=5"1. Get a key
Create an account and keep one evaluation key on the current device.
2. Run a real request
Use Playground or cURL first. Don't start by reading every source page.
3. Inspect detail only if needed
Product pages explain the packaged workflow; catalog pages expose schema and raw source details.
Best fit and limits
Best fit
- • Supplier screening and sourcing operations
- • KYB and due diligence workflows
- • Government opportunity intelligence
- • Regulatory monitoring and briefing workflows
- • Builders packaging public-data APIs into their own tools
Known limits
- • Coverage is limited to datasets and modules that exist in the catalog
- • Freshness differs by source and should be checked on each product or catalog page
- • Paid plans expand quota and export, but do not turn public data into legal advice
- • Private or closed commercial data sources are out of scope unless explicitly added
Freshness and data expectations
There is no single refresh promise across the whole site. Each raw product inherits its own source cadence. Use the raw catalog when freshness matters to the workflow.
Packaged products
Best for understanding the workflow, target user, outputs, and repeatable query path.
Raw catalog pages
Best for checking source mode, field names, schema shape, refresh labels, and lower-level query behavior.
Plans and quotas
Best for evaluating whether free testing is enough or whether recurring export and higher quotas are required.
Workflow guides
Use these when the question is not “what is the API?” but “how do I apply it to a real operating task?”
How to screen a supplier
Resolve the company, run restrictions second, and export only when the supplier is worth carrying forward.
How to verify a company before payment
Use public entity and risk signals to reduce obvious payment mistakes before funds move.
How to monitor bid opportunities
Use a repeatable search and export workflow before humans spend time in the official portal.
Scenario guides
Start here if the main question is “what job can this solve for me?” instead of “what endpoint do I call first?”
Bid Opportunity Intelligence
Find new bids, understand buyer history, and export contract intelligence fast.
Supplier Screening & Sourcing
Check who the supplier is, whether they are restricted, and how they fit a sourcing workflow.
KYB & Due Diligence
Create a fast background dossier on a company or counterparty from public sources.
Healthcare Regulatory Screening
Check whether a medical product or provider is registered, active, recalled, or under review.
Product reference
Product pages explain the packaged workflow. Catalog pages expose the raw source product, schema, and lower-level fields.
Global Entity Lookup
Resolve companies, legal entities, and registration footprints across public registries.
Supplier Risk Dossier
Blend identity, restriction, and supplier context into one screening-oriented workflow.
Sanctions & Restricted Parties
Search sanctions, restricted entities, and public enforcement-oriented registries.
Government Opportunity Feed
Track public procurement notices, tenders, and opportunities in a single storefront product.
Buyer & Award Intelligence
Explore award history, incumbent patterns, and buyer behavior around public contracts.
Drug, Device & Provider Intelligence
Search regulated drugs, devices, providers, and facility registries from public authorities.
API reference
These are the main public entry points for scenario discovery, packaged products, raw products, schema inspection, and billing.
GET /api/v1/scenarios
GET /api/v1/products
GET /api/v1/modules
GET /api/v1/data/products
GET /api/v1/data/products/uk_charity_commission_register
GET /api/v1/data/products/uk_charity_commission_register/schema
GET /api/v1/data/products/uk_charity_commission_register/search?q=example&limit=5
GET /api/v1/data/products/uk_charity_commission_register/export?format=json&limit=1000
GET /api/v1/billing/plansIdentity & KYB
Legal entity identity, registration, ownership, licensing, and existence checks.
Risk & Restrictions
Sanctions, regulated entities, enforcement actions, and restricted-party screening.
Procurement Intelligence
Opportunities, awards, buyers, incumbents, and contract histories.
Healthcare Regulatory
Drugs, devices, providers, facilities, trials, recalls, and safety signals.
Construction & Geospatial
Permits, parcels, zoning, property, hazards, contractors, and project geography.
Legal & Regulatory Change
Laws, regulations, notices, decisions, and update tracking across official sources.
Authentication and plans
All public API reads use the X-API-Key header. Paid plans expand the same key to support more quota, export, and recurring usage. Current self-serve plans loaded on this instance: Business, Free, Pro, Starter.
Machine-readable entry points
These are the best starting points for AI assistants, agentic systems, and search-oriented retrieval flows that need a concise canonical map of the public site.
Concise map
Use /llms.txt for the compact public overview, major entry points, featured solutions, products, API surface, and crawler guidance.
Full reference
Use /llms-full.txt for the expanded machine-readable reference covering solutions, packaged products, raw catalog entries, modules, plans, compare pages, and free tools.
Alaska Business Entities
Use this raw catalog entry when you need field names, source-mode details, and lower-level API behavior.
Open raw catalog entryAustralia ASIC Banned and Disqualified Organisations
Use this raw catalog entry when you need field names, source-mode details, and lower-level API behavior.
Open raw catalog entry