4 GraphQL APIs for your next SAAS

When it comes to building side projects, choosing the right API can be crucial to the success of your project. GraphQL has emerged as a popular choice for developers due to its flexibility and efficiency. Unlike traditional REST APIs, GraphQL allows you to request only the data you need, which can help reduce network usage and improve performance.

When choosing a GraphQL API for your side project, there are several factors to consider. First, you'll want to think about the data you need to access and how the API models that data. You'll also want to look at the API's documentation and ensure it's well-maintained and easy to understand. Additionally, consider the API's reliability and availability, as well as any rate limits or usage restrictions.

Another important factor to consider is the community surrounding the API. A thriving community can provide valuable resources and support as you build your project. Finally, think about any costs associated with using the API, as well as any licensing or usage requirements.

We went through several GraphQL APIs, I chose a few of our favorites.

BitQuery

Bitquery provides developers with access to on-chain data from various blockchain networks. With Bitquery’s API, users can query data across multiple blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and many others, using a single GraphQL endpoint.

Key features of Bitquery’s API include:

  1. Unified Data Access: Fetch data from multiple blockchain networks with a single query

  2. On-Chain Data: The API provides access to a wide array of on-chain data, such as transactions, balances, token transfers, smart contract events, and more.

  3. Analytics and Aggregations: The API supports analytics and aggregation functions

  4. Real-time Data: up-to-date information on blockchain transactions and activities.

Honorable mention: The Graph is a decentralized alternative. I've personally had mixed results with this.

Canopy

If you're selling products online, you know that access to the right data can make or break your sales. The most important data comes from the largest online marketplace: Amazon.com

Canopy API is a robust solution for accessing Amazon e-commerce data. With Canopy API, you can retrieve product information, pricing details, reviews, categories, and search results without facing the limitations of Amazon's official APIs, such as rate limits and restrictive terms of use. The pricing model caters to developers with a free plan and a pay-as-you-go option, enabling them to avoid excessive bills before achieving product-market fit.

Key features of Canopy API include:

  1. Product data: Canopy offers product data such as pricing, images, description, and other data listed below

  2. Reviews Data: For each product you can also retrieve reviews. This allows you to gain insights from your products or your competitors by finding common themes in reviews (or even asking Chat GPT to do this for you).

  3. Category Data: The Amazon product data is a great taxonomy for all things e-commerce. Drill into the taxonomy or pull top-selling products from individual categories.

  4. Search Results: Provides search results on Amazon. Use this to track how a product is ranking against the competition.

  5. International Support: Currently, the API supports Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.fr (more on the way)

Canopy API offers a solution for retrieving valuable Amazon ecommerce data to help you build a SAAS targeting the ever-growing ecommerce industry.

Yuzu

The Yuzu API is a comprehensive financial data tool that offers developers access to a broad range of datasets and information. Notable features of the Yuzu API are:

  1. U.S. Stocks: Access to data on over 7,900 stocks, including ADRs, REITs, warrants, and more. The API provides minute, hour, and daily trades, quotes, aggregates, splits, and over 10 years of historical data.

  2. ETFs & Mutual Funds: Get information on over 28,000 ETFs and mutual funds, including NAV, management style, expense ratio, and more. The API also provides trades, quotes, aggregates, splits, and over 10 years of historical data.

  3. News: Yuzu API offers access to thousands of news articles and press releases published daily, with flexible search options and content and image previews.

  4. Company Logos: Access logos for the Wilshire 5000 and 1000 additional U.S. equities. Additional logos can be obtained with a 24-hour turnaround time. Logos and logo marks are available in both vector and raster images.

  5. Crypto: Yuzu API offers data on over 1,900 trading pairs from popular exchanges such as Coinbase, Binance, and Binance U.S., including trades, quotes, and aggregates, along with up to 10 years of historical data.

  6. Forex: Access data on over 1,200 trading pairs, including quotes, aggregates, and over 12 years of historical data. Additionally, the API provides detailed currency metadata for enhanced insights.

Yuzu presents an extensive solution for obtaining and analyzing financial data, making it a valuable resource for developers engaged in creating financial tools, applications, or conducting research.

Yelp

I was pleasantly surprised to see Yelp with a GraphQL option! The Yelp API is an incredible tool that empowers developers to integrate Yelp's unparalleled local business data into their applications seamlessly. Yelp is a popular platform where users discover, rate, and review local businesses, making its data highly valuable for various use cases, such as recommendations, mapping, and local search applications.

Key features of the Yelp API include:

  1. Business Search: Developers can search for businesses based on various criteria, such as location, keywords, categories, and price range, providing users with relevant local business results.

  2. Business Details: The API provides detailed information about specific businesses, including their name, address, phone number, rating, review count, photos, and more.

  3. Reviews: Access Yelp’s user-generated reviews and ratings for businesses, giving developers the ability to display rich, authentic content in their applications.

  4. Autocomplete: The Yelp API offers an autocomplete feature that suggests search terms based on user input, improving the search experience and helping users find businesses more efficiently.

  5. Event Search: Developers can access information about local events, including details like event name, description, location, and time, enabling them to create event discovery applications.

With this data developers can build rich, engaging applications to help users discover or interact with local businesses.

What did I miss?

Any other GraphQL APIs worth mentioning? Let me know!