New York Times

Overview

The NYT API family exposes New York Times content programmatically: Top Stories, Article Search (archive since 1851), Most Popular, Books, Movie Reviews, and more. Each API has its own key and quota. A strong source for news apps and research with an editorial angle.

Quick Start

Top Stories (replace YOUR_KEY):

curl "https://api.nytimes.com/svc/topstories/v2/home.json?api-key=YOUR_KEY"

Article Search:

curl "https://api.nytimes.com/svc/search/v2/articlesearch.json?q=spacex&api-key=YOUR_KEY"

Most Popular (viewed/shared/emailed):

curl "https://api.nytimes.com/svc/mostpopular/v2/viewed/1.json?api-key=YOUR_KEY"

Authentication

• Register at developer.nytimes.com — one key per API, instant and free.
• Send it as the api-key query parameter (an invalid key returns 401 — verified).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free tier: rate limits per API (roughly 4-5 requests/second and ~5,000 requests/day per key — check the docs).
• Different APIs (Top Stories, Search, Books…) have separate keys and quotas.
• Top Stories requires a section (or home); sections include science, technology, world, sports, arts…
• Article Search covers the full archive back to 1851 — great for historical analysis.

FAQ

Is the NYT API free? Yes — free keys with per-API rate limits.

How do I get a key? Register at developer.nytimes.com and request keys per API.

Can I search old articles? Yes — Article Search covers the archive since 1851.