Getting started

Quickstart

Every dataset uses the same base URL, the same key and the same response envelope, so what follows works for each of them. The examples read ecb/fx-reference, the European Central Bank’s euro reference rates; swap in any dataset id from the catalogue.

Get a key

Create an account, then create a key from your dashboard. A key is shown once, so put it straight into an environment variable; the samples here read it from ODR_KEY, and no sample on this site holds one.

export ODR_KEY="<your key>"

Find a dataset

Search the catalogue. Search, metadata and schemas need no key and cost nothing.

curl -G 'https://api.opendatarouter.com/v1/datasets' \
  --data-urlencode 'q=exchange rates'

Each result has an id of the form publisher/dataset and an availability: api_ready datasets read row by row.

Read its schema

The schema lists each field with its type and unit, and the access paths: the filters a query must use to read the rows in a given order.

curl 'https://api.opendatarouter.com/v1/datasets/ecb/fx-reference/schema'

Query rows

Ask for rows with your key. Filters follow the schema: currency=USD binds the layout ordered by currency, and date[gte] bounds the dates. Rows cost units; see the free plan.

The request

GET /v1/datasets/ecb/fx-reference/rows

curl --globoff -G 'https://api.opendatarouter.com/v1/datasets/ecb/fx-reference/rows' \
  --data-urlencode 'currency=USD' \
  --data-urlencode 'date[gte]=2026-01-01' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ODR_KEY"

Read the envelope

Every row response has the same parts:

The fields of every row response
Field	Type	Meaning
data	array	The rows, keyed by field name and typed by the schema.
meta.release_id	string	The immutable release the rows came from.
meta.licence	object	The licence terms frozen with that release.
meta.citation	object	A citation to paste, with a pinned link.
meta.source	object	The upstream publisher the release was built from.
meta.route	object	How this response was served: from the edge cache, a replica or a live snapshot.
meta.usage	object	The units this request used.
meta.cost_usd	number	What it cost in US dollars: always zero in the pilot.
next_cursor	string or null	Pass it back as cursor for the next page; null on the last.

Page through and pin

Pass next_cursor back as cursor until it is null. A cursor is pinned to its release, so a walk never mixes two releases.

To read exactly the same rows later, add release= with the meta.release_id you got. Releases are immutable, and each dataset page lists the ones it keeps, with links pinned to each.