SEC EDGAR Data APIs
- Free allowance
- Free data.sec.gov JSON APIs with no authentication or key; maximum request rate 10 requests per second; automated tools must declare a User-Agent; nightly bulk ZIP archives of all the JSON
- Verdict
- ★ qualifiesusable as stated; the read path was probed
- Cost
- free tier
- Identity
- anonymousno card, no phone
- Binding limit
- request-rate10 requests per second maximum
- Evidence
- documented6 sources; a first-party page was read and the sentence quoted
- Freshness
- stale on 2026-12-04checked 2026-11-03 (live); stale on 2026-12-04
| Free tier | Free data.sec.gov JSON APIs with no authentication or key; maximum request rate 10 requests per second; automated tools must declare a User-Agent; nightly bulk ZIP archives of all the JSON unit unlimited; metered on none; The submissions API and XBRL data update through the day as filings are disseminated. The www.sec.gov documentation pages answered HTTP 403 to an automated page fetch with no declared agent. A keyless submissions call with a generic probe agent answered HTTP 200. |
|---|---|
| Price | none stated |
| Limits |
Bulk path: companyfacts.zip and submissions.zip, rebuilt nightly at about 3:00 a.m. ET. Storage terms: no storage limit read; the page asks to download only what is needed. |
| Binding | request-rate 10 requests per second is the only ceiling, and the bulk ZIPs avoid it. |
| Identity | anonymous The APIs need no authentication or key; automated callers declare a User-Agent with a company name and contact address in the request header, which is not an account. |
| Egress | not metered in bytes; the 10 requests per second rate bounds a client |
| Per-object cap | not stated; one JSON per filer, and companyfacts.zip and submissions.zip hold every filer |
| Interface | rest GET https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK##########.json and https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK##########.json; bulk ZIPs under https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/daily-index/ endpoint: https://data.sec.gov |
| Tooling | curl or any HTTP client that sends a declared User-Agent |
| Composes with | Company filings and XBRL facts for free; the nightly ZIPs replace thousands of calls and feed a database load. |
| Reliability | Requests above the rate, or from an undeclared automated tool, can be limited or refused; the www.sec.gov pages answered HTTP 403 to an automated fetch with no declared agent. |
| Notes | Keyless, 10 requests per second, nightly bulk ZIPs. Storage terms: no limit read. |
| Evidence note | documented Rate, auth and bulk terms are read from SEC pages; a keyless submissions call answered 200. |
| Parsed numbers |
|
Evidence 6
| date | source | what it proved |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-application-programming-int | the APIs need no authentication or keys |
| 2026-11-03 | www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-application-programming-int | the bulk ZIP is republished nightly |
| 2026-11-03 | www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-application-programming-int | bulk archives are the efficient route |
| 2026-11-03 | www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-search-assistance/accessing | maximum request rate is 10 per second |
| 2026-11-03 | www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-search-assistance/accessing | automated callers declare a user agent |
| 2026-11-03 | probe: https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0000320193.json | a keyless submissions call answered HTTP 200 |
More fields 1
| bulk path | companyfacts.zip and submissions.zip, rebuilt nightly about 3:00 a.m. ET |
|---|
Unknown values 1
- retention stated: the field does not apply to this kind of offer