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Big Book vs Gutendex

Both are solid Books APIs. Choose based on your specific requirements.

Big Book

The Big Book API allows you to semantically search, filter, sort, and recommend books

Gutendex

Web-API for fetching data from Project Gutenberg Books Library

Big Book

  • Simple API key authentication
  • HTTPS supported
  • CORS enabled for frontend use

Gutendex

  • No authentication required
  • HTTPS supported
FeatureBig BookGutendex
AuthenticationapiKeyNone
HTTPSYesYes
CORSYesUnknown

When to use which?

Gutendex is the better choice for quick prototypes and hackathons since it requires no authentication. Big Book works directly from the browser with CORS enabled, making it better for frontend-only apps.