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Best Weather API for Developers: Choosing Weatherstack as Best API

by | May 30, 2024

Best Weather API

What makes a weather API the best choice for developers? It’s an important question for anyone adding weather data to their apps. This blog will explain why Weatherstack API for developers is a top pick. It offers real-time and historical weather data, technical advantages, and scalability.

Choosing the right weather API matters a lot. Weather data is key for many apps, like travel or farming apps. Picking the best weather API ensures apps have correct and reliable weather info.

In this blog, we’ll discuss Weatherstack’s features, like real-time data and forecasts. We’ll also discuss how easy it is to use and how reliable it is. We’ll cover pricing, support, documentation, and security, too. Let’s explore why Weatherstack is the best choice for developers.

Weather API for Developers: Key Points for Choosing Weatherstack

What is the Best Weather API for Developers?

Many developers like Weatherstack when it comes to getting weather information for apps. It’s easy to use and gives accurate information for any place in the world.

One big plus of Weatherstack is its simple API. It’s easy to integrate into apps and gives access to lots of weather data. For example, current weather conditions, forecasts, and past weather information.

Weatherstack provides quick and reliable weather data in a simple JSON format. It provides accurate weather information for any location in the world.

Over 75,000 companies trust Weatherstack worldwide. Here are its key features:

Reliable Data Sources

Weatherstack uses a strong network of weather stations. This ensures the weather data is accurate and reliable.

Scalable Infrastructure

Weatherstack is a REST API that can handle billions of requests daily. It works smoothly even with a lot of users.

Bank-level Security

Weatherstack uses 256-bit HTTPS (SSL) encryption. This keeps your data safe during transfer.

Flexible Location Data Lookup

You can get weather data using city names, ZIP codes, IP addresses, or exact coordinates. This works for millions of locations worldwide.

Lightning-fast Response

Weatherstack provides data quickly in a lightweight JSON format. This makes it easy to use with different programming languages.

Extensive API Documentation

Weatherstack has clear API documentation with many code examples. This makes it easy for developers to use.

Pricing Plans

Weatherstack offers both monthly and yearly plans. Free plans have limited features. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month and include trial offers. You can also choose a customized plan for your app’s weather forecasting.

Weatherstack Local weather models and weather forecast data for severe weather alerts and most accurate weather data

What are the Key Features of Weatherstack Weather API?

Here are some key features of the weatherstack API for developers:

Real-time Weather Data

Weatherstack gives us access to real-time weather data using its reliable data sources. To get real-time weather data using weatherstack’s API, you can simply add your location to the API’s endpoint like this:

Example API Request

https://api.weatherstack.com/current

?access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

&query=New York

In the request, replace `YOUR_ACCESS_KEY` with your actual API access key. You can also request weather data for multiple locations by separating them with semicolons.

The API response includes detailed weather information for the requested location, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and more. Here’s an example response for New York:

{
  "request": {
    "type": "City",
    "query": "New York, United States of America",
    "language": "en",
    "unit": "m"
  },
  "location": {
    "name": "New York",
    "country": "United States of America",
    "region": "New York",
    "lat": "40.714",
    "lon": "-74.006",
    "timezone_id": "America/New_York",
    "localtime": "2024-05-24 02:45",
    "localtime_epoch": 1716518700,
    "utc_offset": "-4.0"
  },
  "current": {
    "observation_time": "06:45 AM",
    "temperature": 22,
    "weather_code": 113,
    "weather_icons": [
      "https://cdn.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0008_clear_sky_night.png"
    ],
    "weather_descriptions": [
      "Clear"
    ],
    "wind_speed": 4,
    "wind_degree": 10,
    "wind_dir": "N",
    "pressure": 1012,
    "precip": 0,
    "humidity": 76,
    "cloudcover": 0,
    "feelslike": 22,
    "uv_index": 1,
    "visibility": 16,
    "is_day": "no"
  }
}

This response includes various details like location name, country, temperature, humidity, and more. You can use these details to display weather information in your app.

Historical Weather Data

Weatherstack provides historical weather data from 2008 to the current weather data year. Here is the API example:

https://api.weatherstack.com/historical?access_key=ADDYOURAPIKEY&query=New%20York&historical_date=2023-01-21&hourly=1

Here is the response:

{
  "request": {
    "type": "City",
    "query": "New York, United States of America",
    "language": "en",
    "unit": "m"
  },
  "location": {
    "name": "New York",
    "country": "United States of America",
    "region": "New York",
    "lat": "40.714",
    "lon": "-74.006",
    "timezone_id": "America/New_York",
    "localtime": "2024-05-24 04:50",
    "localtime_epoch": 1716526200,
    "utc_offset": "-4.0"
  },
  "current": {
    "observation_time": "08:50 AM",
    "temperature": 21,
    "weather_code": 113,
    "weather_icons": [
      "https://cdn.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0008_clear_sky_night.png"
    ],
    "weather_descriptions": [
      "Clear"
    ],
    "wind_speed": 6,
    "wind_degree": 240,
    "wind_dir": "WSW",
    "pressure": 1012,
    "precip": 0,
    "humidity": 78,
    "cloudcover": 0,
    "feelslike": 21,
    "uv_index": 1,
    "visibility": 16,
    "is_day": "no"
  },
  "historical": {
    "2023-01-21": {
      "date": "2023-01-21",
      "date_epoch": 1674259200,
      "astro": {
        "sunrise": "07:15 AM",
        "sunset": "05:00 PM",
        "moonrise": "07:29 AM",
        "moonset": "04:41 PM",
        "moon_phase": "New Moon",
        "moon_illumination": 0
      },
      "mintemp": 2,
      "maxtemp": 6,
      "avgtemp": 4,
      "totalsnow": 0,
      "sunhour": 6,
      "uv_index": 2,
      "hourly": [
        {
          "time": "0",
          "temperature": 5,
          "wind_speed": 16,
          "wind_degree": 292,
          "wind_dir": "WNW",
          "weather_code": 116,
          "weather_icons": [
            "https://cdn.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0004_black_low_cloud.png"
          ],
          "weather_descriptions": [
            "Partly cloudy"
          ],
          "precip": 0,
          "humidity": 69,
          "visibility": 10,
          "pressure": 1013,
          "cloudcover": 42,
          "heatindex": 5,
          "dewpoint": -1,
          "windchill": 1,
          "windgust": 23,
          "feelslike": 1,
          "chanceofrain": 0,
          "chanceofremdry": 0,
          "chanceofwindy": 0,
          "chanceofovercast": 0,
          "chanceofsunshine": 0,
          "chanceoffrost": 0,
          "chanceofhightemp": 0,
          "chanceoffog": 0,
          "chanceofsnow": 0,
          "chanceofthunder": 0,
          "uv_index": 1
        },

The historical data response is more detailed. You can observe it by running the API request.

Example of historical weather api best weather api for weather maps such as National Weather Services

Weather Forecasts

Weatherstack can provide weather forecasts for up to 14 days. To get these forecasts, use the API’s forecast feature and specify the number of days with the forecast_days parameter.

http://api.weatherstack.com/forecast
    ?access_key=ADDYOURAPIKEYHERE
    &query=Texas
    &forecast_days=7
    &hourly=1

You need to include certain parameters in your API request. The access_key parameter is mandatory and is your unique API key. You can find it in your account dashboard. Another required parameter is query. It specifies the location or multiple locations for which you want the weather data.

The forecast_days parameter is optional and allows you to define the number of forecast days, with the default being either 7 or 14 days. It depends on your subscription. If you want hourly forecast data, you can set the hourly parameter to 1; otherwise, it defaults to 0. This means hourly data will not be included.

Let’s run the above given API request. Here is the response:

{
  "request": {
    "type": "City",
    "query": "Texas City, United States of America",
    "language": "en",
    "unit": "m"
  },
  "location": {
    "name": "Texas City",
    "country": "United States of America",
    "region": "Texas",
    "lat": "29.384",
    "lon": "-94.903",
    "timezone_id": "America/Chicago",
    "localtime": "2024-05-25 06:49",
    "localtime_epoch": 1716619740,
    "utc_offset": "-5.0"
  },
  "current": {
    "observation_time": "11:49 AM",
    "temperature": 26,
    "weather_code": 143,
    "weather_icons": [
      "https://cdn.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0006_mist.png"
    ],
    "weather_descriptions": [
      "Mist"
    ],
    "wind_speed": 9,
    "wind_degree": 160,
    "wind_dir": "SSE",
    "pressure": 1009,
    "precip": 0,
    "humidity": 94,
    "cloudcover": 50,
    "feelslike": 30,
    "uv_index": 1,
    "visibility": 6,
    "is_day": "yes"
  },
  "forecast": {
    "2024-05-25": {
      "date": "2024-05-25",
      "date_epoch": 1716595200,
      "astro": {
        "sunrise": "06:22 AM",
        "sunset": "08:11 PM",
        "moonrise": "10:45 PM",
        "moonset": "07:47 AM",
        "moon_phase": "Waning Gibbous",
        "moon_illumination": 98
      },
      "mintemp": 27,
      "maxtemp": 29,
      "avgtemp": 28,
      "totalsnow": 0,
      "sunhour": 13.3,
      "uv_index": 11,
      "hourly": [
        {
          "time": "0",
          "temperature": 27,
          "wind_speed": 17,
          "wind_degree": 165,
          "wind_dir": "SSE",
          "weather_code": 116,
          "weather_icons": [
            "https://cdn.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0004_black_low_cloud.png"
          ],
          "weather_descriptions": [
            "Partly Cloudy "
          ],
          "precip": 0,
          "humidity": 91,
          "visibility": 10,
          "pressure": 1010,
          "cloudcover": 46,
          "heatindex": 31,
          "dewpoint": 25,
          "windchill": 27,
          "windgust": 24,
          "feelslike": 31,
          "chanceofrain": 0,
          "chanceofremdry": 93,
          "chanceofwindy": 0,
          "chanceofovercast": 30,
          "chanceofsunshine": 84,
          "chanceoffrost": 0,
          "chanceofhightemp": 96,
          "chanceoffog": 0,
          "chanceofsnow": 0,
          "chanceofthunder": 0,
          "uv_index": 1
        },

Conclusion

Weatherstack is a great choice for developers. It provides real-time and historical weather data. The API is easy to use and integrates well with apps. It offers clear documentation and flexible data lookup options.

Weatherstack ensures reliable and secure weather information. Its pricing plans are affordable. For apps like travel or farming, Weatherstack is perfect. It helps developers deliver accurate weather data to their users.

two developers are discussing about creating a weather app with air quality data climate data and free access to future weather conditions

FAQs

What is API in Weather?

An API in weather provides weather data to applications and websites.

What is the Best Weather API for Developers?

Weatherstack is the best weather API for developers due to its reliability and ease of use.

Is There a Free Weather API?

Weatherstack gives you 100 free API requests per month.

From Where Do the Best Weather API for Developers Get its Weather Data?

The best weather APIs get their weather data from reliable sources like weather stations.

How Much Does it Cost to Choose the Best Weather API for Developers?

Weatherstack costs only $9.99 per month.

Sign Up for free at Weatherstack today – Get the most accurate weather data for your applications.

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