What should I use for open data access by API?

If you mean publishing open data through an API, a good default choice is usually:

Best general option

REST API + JSON

• Easy for most developers to use
• Works well with browsers, mobile apps, scripts, and integrations
• Simple to document and maintain
• Fits most open-data use cases

Common open-data API patterns

1. REST + JSON

   • Best for most datasets
   • Example endpoints:
     • GET /datasets
     • GET /datasets/{id}
     • GET /records?city=...

2. OData

   • Good if you want powerful querying, filtering, and standardization
   • Often used in government/open-data portals
   • More complex than plain REST

3. GraphQL

   • Useful when clients need flexible queries
   • Good for complex, highly connected data
   • More effort to implement and govern

4. SPARQL

   • Best if your data is in RDF/linked-data format
   • Strong semantic-web support
   • Niche, but very suitable for linked open data

Important features to include

For open data APIs, you usually want:

• Pagination
• Filtering and sorting
• Bulk download links in addition to API access
• Clear documentation
• Versioning
• Rate limits if needed
• Open licensing stated clearly
• Consistent formats like JSON and CSV

Recommendation

If you're starting from scratch, use:

• RESTful API
• JSON responses
• OpenAPI/Swagger documentation
• Optional CSV/GeoJSON downloads for easy reuse

If you want, I can also suggest the best option based on your specific dataset type, like geospatial data, statistical data, or government records.