APIs for Developers on Telegram

You have a side project in mind and no idea where the data should come from. Weather, exchange rates, movies, jokes, addresses? Searching for each source one at a time eats an evening. APIs for Developers puts those sources in one chat.

The bot lists more than 500 APIs sorted into 40+ categories. Pick a topic, see what is inside, and decide what fits. 📚

Two commands, no pile of browser tabs

The bot has only two commands, so there is almost nothing to learn.

• /categories shows every category. Choose one and read through its list.
• /random returns a random API. Useful when you have no task yet and want a spark of inspiration.

It runs as a mini app inside Telegram. There is nothing to install: open the chat, tap a command, get your answer.

Random API, random idea

Many good practice projects start from an odd data source. You get an API about space, music or public transport, and suddenly you are thinking about what to build with it. 🎲

Try a simple rule. Tap /random three times and keep the one that sparks even a little curiosity. An hour later you may have a small working prototype.

Check this before you wire an API into your code

A catalog helps you find candidates. The decision is still yours, and a few checks save a lot of pain later.

1. Terms of use. Find out if commercial use is allowed and if the source must be credited.
2. Rate limits. Many free APIs cap the number of requests per minute or per day.
3. Authentication. Some need a key, some a token, some just an open endpoint.
4. Current documentation. If the examples have not changed in years, the API may have changed or shut down.
5. Response format. It is usually JSON, though other formats exist.

Who gets the most out of it

Beginners can find data for a first practice project without digging through forums and random lists.

Experienced developers can use it for hackathons and quick prototypes, when time is short and a data source is needed today. ⏱️

Students and teachers get a stock of topics for hands-on assignments. Each category is its own direction to start from.

The catch

A catalog of hundreds of APIs cannot promise that each one works right now. Public services change their terms, add paid plans or disappear. After picking one, open the official documentation and send a test request.

If an API asks for a key, keep it out of code you publish in an open repository. Store keys in environment variables. 🔐

One more thing: the bot only points you in a direction. Handling the data, errors and caching is your job.