ADS-B Exchange vs transport.rest
If you need a Transportation API that's easy to integrate, go with transport.rest.
ADS-B Exchange
Access real-time and historical data of any and all airborne aircraft
transport.rest
Community maintained, developer-friendly public transport API
ADS-B Exchange
- Simple API key authentication
- HTTPS supported
transport.rest
- No authentication required
- HTTPS supported
- CORS enabled for frontend use
| Feature | ADS-B Exchange | transport.rest |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | apiKey | None |
| HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
| CORS | Unknown | Yes |
When to use which?
transport.rest is the better choice for quick prototypes and hackathons since it requires no authentication. transport.rest works directly from the browser with CORS enabled, making it better for frontend-only apps.