patchBay

Chinese Text Project vs OwlBot

If you need a Dictionaries API that's easy to integrate, go with Chinese Text Project.

Chinese Text Project

Online open-access digital library for pre-modern Chinese texts

OwlBot

Definitions with example sentence and photo if available

Chinese Text Project

  • No authentication required
  • HTTPS supported

OwlBot

  • Simple API key authentication
  • HTTPS supported
  • CORS enabled for frontend use
  • Currently flagged as inactive
FeatureChinese Text ProjectOwlBot
AuthenticationNoneapiKey
HTTPSYesYes
CORSUnknownYes

When to use which?

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