Five Best OpenSea API Alternatives | Posted by Emmanuel Ajala | Coins | December 2023
The OpenSea API is an important innovation for the web3 community. We provide a pre-built endpoint to retrieve NFT data from the OpenSea marketplace. In addition to providing developers with access to out-of-the-box tools they can integrate with their applications, it also provides access to OpenSea marketplace data and NFT transaction analytics.
The OpenSea API is a great innovation, but it also has limitations. First of all, it’s not easy to get an API key. Even if you think it’s easier to get an API key, the OpenSea API is speed limited. The default rate limit for fetch requests is 4/sec per API key. And post requests are limited to 2/sec per API key.
The API has become unreliable. An outage similar to the NFT PFP issue that occurred to Twitter (now X) users in January 2022 could occur at any time.
Moreover, security breaches are rampant. For example, in September 2023, OpenSea warned about a security bridge asking users to update their API keys with new keys.
Finally, custom commands make it difficult to customize the API. These and numerous other issues are affecting the stability of the OpenSea API.
If you are currently looking for a reliable API alternative to pull data from the OpenSea marketplace, here is a list of five popular APIs to check out.
- BitQuery OpenSea API
The Bitquery OpenSea API provides access to NFT data from the OpenSea marketplace. The API is designed to simplify blockchain data access. Although OpenSea has an API with custom endpoints, the Bitquery OpenSea API is highly customizable. This API allows you to visualize data with GraphQL, create queries, and easily integrate that information into web3 dApps. The free developer plan makes it easy for developers and researchers to get started on their projects.
Support for over 40 blockchain networks gives you access to extensive NFT marketplace data covering ownership history, historical real-time price data, and metadata information. The Bitquery OpenSea API was designed with developers in mind and provides a simple and flexible way to visualize on-chain data.
Extensive cross-chain data provides insights into NFT market analysis. Here are some APIs for effectively analyzing and retrieving data in the OpenSea Marketplace:
Bitquery NFT Ownership API: You can determine ownership of NFT. Know who owns which NFT. It provides insights into popularity, sales, volume, floor price, and more.
The BalanceUpdate method allows you to track balance updates in your wallet and retrieve information about various NFT owners. This method also allows you to get NFT holders and their balance on the OpenSea Marketplace.
NFT transfer API: You can monitor all information about NFT transfer. You can track the latest NFT transfers, search the marketplace for daily transfer information, and more.
NFT Trading API: Provides access for analysis. You can search for recent OpenSea transactions by tracking all transactions sent to port protocols and port contracts.
Additionally, the Bitquery OpenSea API is simple to set up. Through documentation and an active community, you will have a support system to talk to when you reach the end of your journey.
2. Moral NFT API
Moralis NFT API is another OpenSea API alternative that provides access to on-chain NFT analytics. It provides access to over 10 EVM-compatible blockchain networks and a collection of over 3 million NFTs. Like the Bitquery NFT API, the Moralis NFT API allows developers to pull data from the blockchain with just one API call.
Support for JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python programming languages makes it easy to understand how the API works. The Moralis NFT API allows you to integrate on-chain price data within your Dapp. With a simple line of code, you can query the blockchain for information and data such as NFT balances, metadata information, NFT collection queries, owner information, and more.
3. Chainstack NFT API
Chainstack was designed with the needs of developers and NFT enthusiasts in mind. It provides a seamless experience to import, search, manage, explore and mint NFTs.
This alternative OpenSea API tool provides a fast, reliable, low-code gateway to query NFT data from the OpenSea Marketplace. The Chainstack NFT API allows you to retrieve data such as transaction history, metadata, and ownership information with a simple line of code.
Access to over 15 blockchain protocols gives you the data you need to broadly analyze NFT transactions. This multichain API is highly customizable. With Chainstack API flexibility, you no longer need to spend hours tweaking custom code to extract sensitive information from the OpenSea marketplace.
This documentation helps new users become familiar with the API and makes the tool easier to use. In addition to well-written documentation, the Chainstack NFT API is easy to navigate, even for people with little to no understanding of the query language. You can find your NFT collection by simply searching its name or descriptive text.
4. Alchemy NFT API
All it takes to get the right data from the OpenSea Marketplace is a simple get or publish request. The Alchemy NFT API provides just that. Use this tool to retrieve metadata information, retrieve OpenSea sales and market data, calculate rarity scores, and detect spam.
The Alchemy NFT API is another simple tool to launch, view, analyze, trade, and display NFTs on OpenSea. It is a multichain tool that provides access to four EVM-compatible protocols (including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Polygon).
The easy-to-use interface and easy-to-understand documentation help you navigate the API protocol without any hassle. If you run into any issues while using the API, our active user community will help you navigate the murky waters.
5. Center NFT API
And last but not least on this list is the Center NFT API.
This tool strikes a balance between security and functionality. The Center NFT API provides seamless access to NFT data without compromising security through a user authentication system and app token system.
Unlike other APIs, the Center NFT API focuses on protecting sensitive NFT data by giving users the flexibility to define API access levels. Two levels of permissions (full access and read-only access) give you the flexibility to grant access to who you want and tell them what they can do.
Center NFT API does not take data security in the NFT environment lightly. The API may seem complicated to use because of its literal security, but it is not. It is highly customizable and provides a simple and secure environment for managing and accessing NFT data on the OpenSea Marketplace.
This protocol comfortably acts as a reliable gateway between the OpenSea marketplace and the web3 project.
It is important to know the top 5 OpenSea API alternatives. Knowing how to choose the best protocol for your needs is another matter. Your API selection process is no joke. It affects the entire business from top to bottom.
For example, choosing an API that lacks scalability can lead to performance issues as your project grows. Additionally, choosing an API without any knowledge of the tool’s pricing structure can leave you confused.
Therefore, it is important to take your time and choose one. If you need guidance on how to choose the best API tool for your project, read on.
- Supported chains and marketplaces
An API is an intermediary between a web3 Dapp and a blockchain or marketplace. And there are different chains with their own unique functions and characteristics. Before choosing an API protocol, it is important to understand the unique characteristics of the supported protocols and your project requirements.
Will the NFT API you choose work perfectly with the OpenSea Marketplace? Make sure your API is compatible with your blockchain protocol. This is important for smooth interaction and optimal performance.
2. Scalability
Everything grows, and this includes the web3 project. So keep this in mind when choosing an OpenSea API alternative.
As your project grows, you need an API that can handle increased traffic and requests. So before choosing OpenSea API, make sure you understand the framework and structure of the API. Understand how your API will handle increased requests and what’s in place for scalability.
In this rapidly evolving web3 environment, scalability should not be treated lightly.
3. Easy-to-understand navigation guide
Understanding how an API works is important, but you don’t have to be an island of knowledge to use it. NFT APIs can be complex to use, but comprehensive, well-organized documentation makes the usage process easy to navigate.
So take a look at the documentation when deciding which alternative OpenSea API to use. Make sure examples, explanations, and guidance are provided to use the API effectively.
A good alternative like the Bitquery API documentation OpenSea API provides clear instructions on setting up the API, how to call the API, and clear explanations of data structures, responses, etc.
For example, the Bitquery API has two versions: V1 and V2. V1 provides clear instructions on how to use the Bitquery Graphql API to transfer tokens, traders, NFTs, and access historical data. V2 provides clear explanations and numerous query examples on how to use the Bitquery Streaming API. Both versions of the documentation are clearly written with instructions on how to set up and use each API.
Documentation is important. This can mean the difference between a hassle-free trip and being stuck in a maze of confusion.
4. Pricing structure
It is important to understand the pricing structure of blockchain APIs to avoid surprises. Pricing for OpenSea API varies. Some offer free usage, while others offer tiered pricing structures.
To adjust your budget to fit your needs, you need to understand the pricing of the OpenSea APIs you plan to use.
For example, the Bitquery API has a six-tier point pricing model: Developer (free tier), Enterprise (custom), Team, Startup, Growth, and Business. Bitquery’s free plan provides free access to tools for developers who know they need an API but aren’t sure what they actually want.
You have the opportunity to try out the blockchain API with 10,000 points per month and 10 API calls per minute.
Choosing an API to get data from the OpenSea Marketplace is not a problem. The challenge is choosing the right API for your project. Through this article, you learned how to choose the best alternative API to connect to the OpenSea marketplace.
An API acts as an intermediary between two independent pieces of software. In this case, the OpenSea API acts as an intermediary between the OpenSea marketplace and the web3 Dapp. This protocol helps developers import ERC721 and ERC115 blockchain data from the OpenSea marketplace.
Bitquery OpenSea API provides access to 40+ blockchain, webhooks, and integration APIs.
The free developer plan makes it easier for developers to get Opensea data for free.
With a simple line of code, you can access historical and real-time data, ownership history, and insights into OpenSea Marketplace activity. It’s not just about getting data. You can visualize your data, create queries, and easily integrate this data into your web applications.