Air Quality API

GET

Show particulate matter and health recommendations in your app.

Air Quality reports particulate pollution levels and health recommendations for any city or zip code. Look up PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations to check current air conditions; paid plans add ozone, toxic gases, and EPA index scores.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/airquality?city=San%20Francisco

Query parameters

citystring

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "pm2_5": 16.75,
    "pm10": 18.85,
    "carbonMonoxide": 387.85,
    "ozone": 9,
    "nitrogenDioxide": 38.55,
    "sulfurdioxide": 5.95,
    "usEpaIndex": 2,
    "gbDefraIndex": 2,
    "recommendation": "The air quality in San Francisco is good. It is safe to go outside.",
    "city": "San Francisco"
  }
}

About the Air Quality API

Air Quality works by retrieving the air quality data from various reliable sources and providing it in a structured format. You can expect accurate and up-to-date information.

What people use it for

HVAC Air Intake Automation: Smart thermostat controllers read local PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations to automatically switch ventilation systems to internal recirculation during high pollution spikes.
Outdoor Workout Planning: Fitness mobile apps show runners actionable health recommendations and particulate ratings by city before they start an outdoor training session.
Property Environmental Profiles: Display local particulate measurements and health advice on real estate listings so buyers can evaluate neighborhood environmental quality.
School Sports Scheduling: When particulate counts exceed safe thresholds, athletic directors consult real-time pollution readings and health recommendations to move student practices indoors.

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Air Quality

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.on VerveContext

Questions.

Common questions about the Air Quality API.

Read the docs →

How many air quality checks does the Free plan cover?

The Free plan gives you 20 checks every month at 10 credits per call. For higher volume, the Starter plan covers 20,000 monthly checks, which works out to about $1.50 per 1,000 calls.

Do I get US EPA index ratings and gas pollutant levels on the Free plan?

No, index ratings and specific gas readings require a paid plan. The Free plan returns particulate matter measurements (PM2.5 and PM10) alongside health recommendations. Upgrading to Starter or above unlocks the US EPA index, UK DEFRA index, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide data.

Can I query air quality by postal code as well as city name?

Yes, you can look up readings using either a city name or a postal zip code through separate endpoints. Both endpoints return the same pollutant measurements and health recommendations, with index ratings on paid plans.

What health guidance is provided with the pollution readings?

Every successful response includes an assessment and actionable health recommendation based on current air quality. It accompanies the PM2.5 and PM10 particulate levels on all plans, and aligns with the EPA and DEFRA index scales on paid plans.

Can I display this air quality data inside a commercial product?

Yes, as long as you are on a paid plan. Commercial use is permitted on Starter and above to power health monitors, local dashboards, or customer alerts. You may not resell or redistribute the raw air quality data as-is.

Request parameters — GET /v1/airquality

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`city`Required	string	`San Francisco`	The city name for which you want to get the air quality data (e.g., New York)

Example request

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality?city=San%20Francisco" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/airquality

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "pm2_5": 16.75,
    "pm10": 18.85,
    "carbonMonoxide": 387.85,
    "ozone": 9,
    "nitrogenDioxide": 38.55,
    "sulfurdioxide": 5.95,
    "usEpaIndex": 2,
    "gbDefraIndex": 2,
    "recommendation": "The air quality in San Francisco is good. It is safe to go outside.",
    "city": "San Francisco"
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`pm2_5`	number	`16.75`	Fine particulate matter concentration in micrograms per cubic meter
`pm10`	number	`18.85`	Coarse particulate matter concentration in micrograms per cubic meter
`carbonMonoxide`Premium	number	`387.85`	Carbon monoxide concentration level in parts per billion
`ozone`Premium	number	`9`	Ground-level ozone concentration in parts per billion
`nitrogenDioxide`Premium	number	`38.55`	Nitrogen dioxide concentration level in parts per billion
`sulfurdioxide`Premium	number	`5.95`	Sulfur dioxide concentration level in parts per billion
`usEpaIndex`Premium	number	`2`	US EPA air quality index rating from one to six scale
`gbDefraIndex`Premium	number	`2`	UK DEFRA air quality index rating from one to ten scale
`recommendation`	string	`"The air quality in San Francisco is good. It is safe to go outside."`	Air quality assessment and health recommendation for the city
`city`	string	`"San Francisco"`	The city name for which air quality data was retrieved

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 10 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	Air Quality calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	20	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	20,000	$1.50
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	100,000	$1.00
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	400,000	$0.75

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/airquality

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/airquality with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

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2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/airquality-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceAir Quality API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/airqualitynpm apiverve-airqualityPyPI APIVerve.API.AirQualityNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/airquality

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Air Quality API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/airquality

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/airqualityThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/airquality-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceAir Quality API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

apiverve-airqualityPyPI APIVerve.API.AirQualityNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/airquality

Install the Python SDK, then call the Air Quality API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — PyPI

pip install apiverve-airquality

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

PyPIapiverve-airqualityThe published Python client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/airquality-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceAir Quality API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/airqualitynpm APIVerve.API.AirQualityNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/airquality

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Air Quality API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.AirQuality

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.AirQualityThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/airquality-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceAir Quality API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/airqualitynpm apiverve-airqualityPyPI

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/airquality

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/airquality with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/airqualitynpm apiverve-airqualityPyPI APIVerve.API.AirQualityNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/airquality

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/airquality with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/airqualitynpm apiverve-airqualityPyPI APIVerve.API.AirQualityNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/airquality

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/airquality with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/airquality")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/airqualitynpm apiverve-airqualityPyPI APIVerve.API.AirQualityNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

All articles →

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Air Quality API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Air Quality API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Air Quality

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/airquality

Required

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/airquality

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 10 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/airquality

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/airquality

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/airquality

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/airquality

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/airquality

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/airquality

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/airquality

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Air Quality API

Weather

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