Sunlight Foundation

Sunlight Data Services

We offer free APIs for a number of our projects and tools. Ready to get started? Sign up for a key on your right. Need some help? Learn more about APIs (a.k.a. application programming interfaces) in this Sunlight Academy tutorial video.

Scroll down for libraries and explore all of the Sunlight Labs open source projects on GitHub.

• Capitol Words API

  API is operating normally

  The Capitol Words API is an API allowing access to the word frequency count data powering the Capitol Words project.

  This API powers:

  • capitolwords.org
  • Scout
  • Try the API
  • Read the documentation

• Congress API v3

  API is operating normally

  A live JSON API for the people and work of Congress. Information on legislators, districts, committees, bills, votes, as well as real-time notice of hearings, floor activity and upcoming bills.

  This API powers:

  • Congress for Android
  • Sunlight Congress for iOS (coming soon)

  • congressional documents, bills, votes
  • Try the API
  • Read the documentation

• Influence Explorer API

  API is operating normally

  The Influence Explorer API gives programmers and journalists the ability to easily create subsets of large data for their own research and development purposes. The API currently offers campaign contributions and lobbying records with more data sets coming soon.

  This API powers:

  • Influence Explorer
  • Docket Wrench
  • Poligraft
  • Call on Congress
  • Try the API
  • Read the documentation

• Open States API

  API is operating normally

  Information on the legislators and activities of all 50 state legislatures, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

  This API powers:

  • Openstates.org
  • Openstates iOS
  • Scout
  • Try the API
  • Read the documentation

• Political Party Time API

  API is operating normally

  Provides access to the underlying, raw data that the Sunlight Foundation creates based on fundraising invitations collected in Party Time. As we enter information on new invitations, the database updates automatically.

  This API powers:

  • Influence Explorer
  • Try the API
  • Read the documentation

• Real Time Congress API Deprecated

  API is operating normally

  The Real Time Congress API is a RESTful API over the artifacts of Congress, updated in as close to real time as possible. This includes data on floor updates, committee hearings, floor video, bills, votes, amendments and various documents and reports. This API is deprecated in favor of the new Congress API v3.

  • Read the documentation

• Sunlight Congress API Deprecated

  API is operating normally

  Information on members of congress: contact information, IDs on various websites and committees. Also provides methods for finding legislators by location or district. This API is deprecated in favor of the new Congress API v3.

  • Read the documentation

Libraries

• python-sunlight
• sunlightapi ruby gem
• python-transparencydata
• tranparency-data ruby gem
• congress ruby gem
• RTC-Python