keyless REST API

A keyless REST API is an official machine endpoint you can call from any HTTP client on the first try - no account, no token, no terms checkbox. The request itself carries all the parameters: country, indicator code and output format.

The World Bank API - ICT Indicators JSON Service shows how far this goes. Its catalog record states 'No key, registration or fee is required for the API', tags it 'rest-api', 'json', 'no-authentication' and 'pagination', and documents a working example URL, api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS?format=json. The same service offers pagination for large pulls and bulk CSV, XML and Excel exports when a loop of page requests is the wrong tool.

The sibling records agree. World Bank WDI - Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) carries terms_notes reading 'Free downloads and API access with no key or registration', and the Mobile Cellular Subscriptions (IT.CEL.SETS) indicator record is tagged 'official_api' access with 'api-access'.

Credentials are a hidden cost line. A keyed source adds signup friction for every teammate, a secret to store and rotate, and a quota that can break production mid-month. A keyless endpoint removes all three: the World Bank ICT JSON service requires no key, no registration and no fee, so a prototype built against it moves to production unchanged.

It also changes what you can promise a client. Because nothing gates the request, you can cite the exact query URL - api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS?format=json - in documentation, a notebook or a scheduled job without leaking a secret. The trade-off is that free-for-all access usually means you self-limit volume politely; bulk CSV/XML/Excel exports exist precisely so high-volume needs do not hammer paginated calls.

1. Call it before signing anything. The World Bank ICT indicators endpoint answers with no key; if a vendor's 'free API' demands a card before the first response, treat it as freemium instead.
2. Check pagination on the real series. The ICT service exposes paged responses for country/all queries - confirm the page size and total before writing your loop.
3. Prefer bulk exports for whole-catalog pulls. The same record lists bulk CSV, XML and Excel exports alongside the JSON service; downloading beats paginating when you want every observation of IT.CEL.SETS.

Entries that sit next to keyless REST APIs in this glossary:

• bulk-download - the export route the World Bank offers beside its no-key JSON service.
• hugging-face-datasets-hub - another credential-free way to pull prepared data.
• world-bank-it-indicator-codes - the IT.CEL.SETS-style codes the endpoint addresses.