Sports APIs are becoming increasingly sought-after tools for developers, betting platforms, sports media, and analysts. They allow for real-time access to current data on matches, odds, player and team statistics, solving the problem of constant monitoring and manual information processing.
AS API, the API of a Spanish sports website, provides access to information about matches, results, and bets, but there are a number of limitations that users face. API-sport offers a broader coverage of sports, faster data refresh rates, and flexible integration formats, making it a more convenient and versatile tool.
Who benefits from using sports APIs:
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Developers creating applications and web services with up-to-date sports information.
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Betting platforms that need fast and accurate data for calculating odds.
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Sports media that want to publish fresh results and analytics.
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Analysts and researchers working with large datasets of sports data.
What is API and API-sport?
API (Application Programming Interface) is an interface that allows programs to exchange data. API-sport is a modern platform that provides access to real-time sports information.
API-sport emerged as an alternative to narrower local services, including AS API, and quickly gained popularity due to its reliability, speed, and versatility. The platform supports over 40 sports, including esports, and offers detailed statistics, live results, and game archives.
With API-sport, you can obtain:
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Match results and current events.
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Odds for betting and forecasts.
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Team lineups, changes, and transfers.
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Detailed statistics for players and teams.
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Match history and analytical data.
The features of API-sport make it a convenient and versatile tool for working with sports data. Unlike AS API, this service provides fast information updates with minimal delay, which is especially important for betting and real-time analytics. Additionally, API-sport supports multiple data formats, including JSON and XML, and allows working with live data via WebSocket, making streaming updates as efficient as possible. Integration with various platforms and programming languages, such as Python and JavaScript, as well as with CMS and mobile applications, is straightforward and requires no complex configurations, saving developers’ time and simplifying the use of the API in projects of any scale.
AS API: how to work with the API of the Spanish sports website?
AS API allows working with a limited set of data:
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Match results.
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Odds for betting.
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Basic statistics of players and teams.
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Transfers and lineups are partially supported.
In comparison with API-sport the capabilities of AS API are limited, especially for live updates and extensive analytics.
Supported sports
The main focus of AS API is football and some European sports. In API-sport, the support is significantly broader: football, hockey, basketball, tennis, esports, and over 40 disciplines.
Technologies and formats
AS API provides data via REST and JSON, but lacks support for WebSocket and XML, which limits working with live data. API-sport supports REST, WebSocket, JSON, and XML, allowing for both polling and streaming updates.
How to access the API?
To work with AS API, you need to go through the standard procedure: register on the official website, obtain a personal API key, and choose an appropriate tariff. However, even at this stage, limitations begin: free access is provided only to a minimal set of data, while more advanced features, such as live results or extended statistics, are available only in paid packages. This makes working with the service somewhat limited for developers who want to fully integrate data into their applications.
API-sport also requires registration and obtaining an API key, but makes this process more flexible. Users can start with free trial access, which allows them to familiarize themselves with the platform’s functionality and test integration without financial commitments. After that, one can choose from various paid tariffs tailored to different tasks — from simple match monitoring to professional analytics and working with live data.
10. RapidAPI, SportRadar, and other platforms provide access to BetsAPI and Livescore API through their channels. This is convenient for developers who need ready-made integrations and reliable SLAs.
With connections through third-party services, AS API’s situation is limited — alternative providers are hardly used, and integration with external platforms is complicated.
In the case of API-sport, access is much broader: the service is integrated with popular aggregators like RapidAPI and SportRadar, which simplifies connection to various applications and systems. This gives developers more flexibility: they can quickly test the API, use ready-made tools for working with data, and easily scale the project without lengthy setup.
12. Free plans usually include limited access to historical data and basic statistics. Paid subscriptions unlock:
AS API often offers free access, but only to a minimal set of data. For example, you can get match results and basic statistics, but live updates, detailed lineups, and game history are available exclusively in paid packages.
API-sport offers a more transparent and convenient system: a free trial period allows you to explore all the platform’s capabilities and assess the speed and quality of data. Paid subscriptions provide access to advanced features, including:
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live results and events in real time,
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detailed statistics of players and teams,
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complete match history and archival data,
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advanced metrics for analytics and forecasts.
17. Number of requests per minute/hour
The AS API has a number of strict limitations on the number of requests and update speed. This can become a problem for projects that require frequent information retrieval, such as for betting or analyzing large datasets.
In API-sport, the limitations are much softer: the service allows for more requests, faster data updates, and working with live data via WebSocket. This flexibility makes the platform more convenient and reliable for professional users and large projects where speed of response and accuracy of information are important.
API Integration
Connection examples
Python:
import requests
url = «https://api.api-sport.ru/football/matches»
headers = {«X-API-KEY»: «YOUR_API_KEY»}
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
print(response.json())
JavaScript:
fetch(«https://api.api-sport.ru/football/matches», {
headers: { «X-API-KEY»: «YOUR_API_KEY» }
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data));
Integration into CMS and mobile applications
API-sport easily integrates into WordPress, as well as into mobile applications on Android and iOS, providing up-to-date data for users.
Using live data via WebSocket
Live data via WebSocket allows for instant updates without constant requests, which is faster and more efficient than polling, especially for betting and analytics.
Where is it used?
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In betting and odds scanners for calculating bets.
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In sports analytics and forecasts.
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In media and fan applications for publishing live results.
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In Fantasy Sports and esports for calculating player statistics.
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In BI systems and Big Data projects for analyzing sports data.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of API-sport:
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Wide coverage of sports.
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High data update speed.
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Accuracy of statistics and odds.
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Flexible integration via REST and WebSocket.
Cons:
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Cost of professional tariffs.
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Limitations of free access.
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Basic technical training is required.
AS API lags in speed, number of available sports, and functionality for live data.
Alternatives
Among the alternatives, AS API and API-sport stand out several popular services, each with its own features. For example, SportRadar is a powerful platform with a wide range of sports data, but its cost makes the service less accessible for small projects. RapidAPI is an aggregator of many different APIs, which is convenient for testing and quick integration, but there are limitations on request speed and data volume. The Odds API is more focused on working with odds and arbitrage, which makes it useful for specialized betting applications, but limits opportunities for broad sports analytics.
It is worth choosing competitors in cases where specific local data coverage or exclusive sources of information not available in API-sport are needed. In other situations, the API-sport platform proves to be a more universal and convenient solution for professional work with sports information.
In summary
Although AS API provides basic data on sports events, API-sport offers a wider functionality, high speed, accuracy, and convenient integration. For professional projects, betting, and analytics, API-sport becomes a more advantageous solution.
Registration: https://app.api-sport.ru/register
Our TG channel with updates: https://t.me/apisportru.
FAQ
Is there free access to AS API?
Yes, but it is limited and without live updates.
What types of sports are supported in API-sport?
More than 40 sports, including football, hockey, basketball, tennis, and esports.
Is the API suitable for betting?
Yes, API-sport is perfect thanks to live odds and player statistics.
How to connect the API to the application?
It is enough to get an API key and use REST requests or WebSocket for live data.
Can the API be used for predictions?
Yes, data on results, transfers, and statistics allows for accurate predictions.
What is the advantage of WebSocket over polling?
WebSocket provides instant updates without constant requests, which saves resources and increases response speed.
