Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Api Keys Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Census requires API keys for all requests; bureau cites security and performance
Summary
Census staff confirmed that API keys are now required for every Census Data API request and said the change is for security and to protect API performance; keys are free from census.gov/developers and students may register with a personal email.
During the API Q&A, Tyson Weister confirmed a policy change: "As of last week, we are requiring API keys for every data request." He said keys are free and are requested at census.gov/developers; the request form asks for organization name and an email, and keys are emailed to users for immediate activation.
Asked why the change was made, Weister said the rationale is security and platform reliability: requiring keys helps protect users and preserve performance by limiting abusive or very heavy requests that could affect overall availability. "It is a security reason, to protect us and to protect users," he said. When asked whether there is a documented daily limit on calls, he said he could not provide a per-user cap during the session and advised users to consult public documentation or contact the API team for specifics.
