Getting Started
BigDataCloud is organised into API packages. This guide walks you through choosing the right package, understanding when you need an API key, and creating your account.
Step 1: Choose your package
All BigDataCloud APIs are grouped into packages. Browse the API Reference section in the sidebar to explore what's available, or start with one of these:
Step 2: Do you need an API key?
It depends on which APIs you're using.
Free APIs — no key required
Some APIs are completely free with no authentication needed — just call them directly from the browser or a client-side app. These are under the Free APIs package.
Premium APIs — API key required
All other packages (IP Geolocation, Reverse Geocoding, Phone & Email, Network Engineering) require an API key. A generous free tier is included — no credit card needed to sign up.
Step 3: Create your account
Sign up at bigdatacloud.com — no credit card or sensitive information required. Your API key is created immediately and starts propagating across our servers. Most requests will work within a few minutes.
Your email is your permanent account identifier
Choose carefully — your email address cannot be changed after registration. We recommend using a corporate email address. Disposable email addresses are not accepted.
API key propagation
After your key is issued, it propagates across all our servers automatically. Most requests will work within minutes, but full propagation can take up to 10 minutes. See What is API Key Propagation? for more detail.
What's next
Before making your first API call, read through these chapters in order:
- 1Authentication— how to pass your API key
- 2API Domains— which domain to call
- 3GraphQL— if you prefer GraphQL over REST