Free, public open-data API
Open city data, one consistent envelope
InfraNode brings together the fragmented open data of German cities behind a
single REST interface. Every response follows the same JSON envelope with
data and meta; each data record additionally
carries an attribution field with licence and origin, and the
meta block states the source status honestly, instead of dozens
of different government and open-data APIs.
In short
InfraNode is a free, public open-data REST API that serves open data for German cities behind one unified interface. Instead of signing up at dozens of portals, you query everything through a consistent JSON envelope, with no API key.
- 84 large cities, 48 endpoints, one unified envelope.
- No key required, free and ad-free.
- Hosted on a server in Germany, with an honest source status.
- 84 cities
- 48 endpoints
- 35+ official sources
- Licence tag in every response
What sets the API apart
Every response has the same shape: data with the payload and
meta with city, timestamp, source_status,
correlation_id and cache_status. Each data record
additionally carries an attribution field with licence and
origin. The source_status field cleanly tells "no data" apart
from a real error: a source without data still returns a tidy 200, not a 5xx.
Responses carry ETag and Cache-Control headers, and
an MCP server exposes the endpoints as tools for AI agents.
Real-time data under /live
Under /api/v1/live/* InfraNode serves current readings: traffic
conditions, roadworks, parking, charging and public transit. Some live
sources are city-specific (for example Cologne traffic conditions, Berlin
traffic messages). New is the public-transit real-time feed with delays per
stop, trip and route plus a position estimate under
/api/v1/live/{city}/transit/departures,
trips/{id} and
routes/{id}/status. The stop_id is
numeric or in the format de:AGS:.... Data from gtfs.de
(CC-BY-SA), refresh_seconds 45.
Getting started
Read the Quickstart for your first call, or set up the MCP server for AI agents. The full endpoint reference lives in the left navigation. Reference content is in German, the code samples are universal.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an API key?
No. Every endpoint is publicly readable and your first call needs no key. An optional key only raises the rate limit to a higher tier.
What does it cost?
Nothing. InfraNode is a free, public open-data API, ad-free and with no paywall. A source code release is in preparation.
Which cities are covered?
All 84 German cities above 100,000 inhabitants. Of those, 28 core cities have full source coverage; the rest are served through AGS- and geo-based sources.
Where does the data come from?
From public, official sources. InfraNode brings them together behind one interface and passes them through in normalised form. Every response names licence and origin in its attribution block.
Are there rate limits?
Yes. Anonymous calls are limited per IP; a valid key in the X-API-Key header raises the limit. On overrun the API answers with status 429.
How fresh is the data?
It depends on the source. Responses carry a timestamp in the meta block plus ETag and Cache-Control headers. Live endpoints return current readings, static data is cached longer.