DataCite REST API

api.datacite.org · Science

Science No Auth Free & Open Academic Research DOI

Query metadata for research data DOIs registered with DataCite — covering datasets, software, workflows, and other research outputs. Free, no API key required. Returns JSON:API format.

Authentication

No authentication requiredFree to use with no key needed.

Sample Requests

GET Search datasets

Search for dataset DOIs by keyword.

https://api.datacite.org/dois?query=climate&page[size]=5&resource-type-id=dataset

Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does

curl -X GET "https://api.datacite.org/dois?query=climate&page[size]=5&resource-type-id=dataset"

import requests
params = {
    "query": "climate",
    "page[size]": "5",
    "resource-type-id": "dataset"
}
response = requests.get(
    "https://api.datacite.org/dois",
    params=params,
)
print(response.json())

const url = new URL('https://api.datacite.org/dois');
url.searchParams.set('query', 'climate');
url.searchParams.set('page[size]', '5');
url.searchParams.set('resource-type-id', 'dataset');

const response = await fetch(url); 
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"net/url"
)

func main() {
	baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://api.datacite.org/dois")
	q := baseURL.Query()
	q.Set("query", "climate")
	q.Set("page[size]", "5")
	q.Set("resource-type-id", "dataset")
	baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
	targetURL := baseURL.String()
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)

	client := &http.Client{}
	resp, _ := client.Do(req)
	defer resp.Body.Close()
	body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(body))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://api.datacite.org/dois")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
  "query" => "climate",
  "page[size]" => "5",
  "resource-type-id" => "dataset"
})

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"

req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)

res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)

<?php
$url = "https://api.datacite.org/dois?" . http_build_query([
    "query" => "climate",
    "page[size]" => "5",
    "resource-type-id" => "dataset"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
    "method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));

GET Get DOI metadata

Fetch metadata for a specific DataCite DOI.

https://api.datacite.org/dois/10.5061/dryad.234

Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does

curl -X GET "https://api.datacite.org/dois/10.5061/dryad.234"

import requests
response = requests.get(
    "https://api.datacite.org/dois/10.5061/dryad.234",
)
print(response.json())

const url = 'https://api.datacite.org/dois/10.5061/dryad.234';

const response = await fetch(url); 
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
)

func main() {
	targetURL := "https://api.datacite.org/dois/10.5061/dryad.234"
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)

	client := &http.Client{}
	resp, _ := client.Do(req)
	defer resp.Body.Close()
	body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(body))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://api.datacite.org/dois/10.5061/dryad.234")

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"

req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)

res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)

<?php
$url = "https://api.datacite.org/dois/10.5061/dryad.234";
$opts = ["http" => [
    "method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));

Postman Setup Guide

Get Postman ↗

No API key needed
Try GET https://api.datacite.org/dois?query=genomics&resource-type-id=dataset&page[size]=5
Response is JSON:API format — data is in the data array
Filter by resource-type-id: dataset, software, workflow, etc.

What can you build with DataCite REST API?

DataCite REST API is a Science API. Developers commonly use science APIs for:

accessing research datasets and scientific literature
powering academic and R&D applications
running scientific calculations and simulations
visualising experimental and observational data
integrating with research and reference databases

No authentication required. This API is open — no signup or key needed. Ideal for quick prototypes and public-facing features. DataCite REST API is free to use, making it a low-risk choice to experiment with.

New to APIs? Read our beginner's guide

Open documentation ↗