Foursquare

Overview

The Foursquare Places API provides POI data — venues, geocoding, search by location/category, and place details. Auth is an API key (the Foursquare “API key” is a simple bearer token, despite the OAuth tag — requests without one return 401, verified).

Quick Start

Place search (replace YOUR_KEY):

curl "https://api.foursquare.com/v3/places/search?ll=40.7,-74&radius=1000&limit=5" \
  -H "Authorization: YOUR_KEY"

{
  "results": [
    { "fsq_id": "4b8f...", "name": "Starbucks", "categories": [{ "name": "Coffee Shop" }], "geocodes": { "main": { "latitude": 40.7, "longitude": -74 } } }
  ]
}

Place details:

curl "https://api.foursquare.com/v3/places/4b8f..." \
  -H "Authorization: YOUR_KEY"

Nearby (no coords — by IP):

curl "https://api.foursquare.com/v3/places/nearby?limit=5" \
  -H "Authorization: YOUR_KEY"

Authentication

• Register at developer.foursquare.com → create an app → API key.
• Send it as the Authorization header (missing → 401, verified).
• The Places API uses a simple API key (not a full OAuth flow) for these endpoints.

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free tier: generous request allowances (check the docs — tiered by app); paid scales.
• The v3 Places API replaces the old v2 Foursquare API.
• Search by ll (lat,lng), near (text), categories, or query.
• fsq_id is the stable place identifier.

FAQ

Is Foursquare API free? Free tier with request allowances; more is paid.

How do I get a key? developer.foursquare.com → create an app → API key.

What’s the auth style? A simple bearer API key in the Authorization header (verified).