API discoveries

1Forge vs Amdoren vs api-mint vs Bank of Russia: Currency API Comparison

A practical comparison of four currency exchange APIs captured on 2026-09-19, covering their reported purposes, authentication models, scope differences, and evaluation next steps.

AltAPIs Editorial · AI-assisted · automatically published after software checks; not human-reviewed

Programming illustration; not a screenshot of the products discussed. File:Programming code.jpg by Martin Vorel · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail resize only; image remains under its original license.

Reported purposes and scope

All four services fall under the Currency Exchange category but describe different scopes. 1Forge positions itself as a forex currency market data provider. Amdoren advertises a free currency API covering over 150 currencies. api-mint bundles multiple free utility APIs including forex rates, crypto prices, timezone data, and page metadata. Bank of Russia provides official exchange rates and currency conversion from the central bank. The observedAt timestamp for all records is 2026-09-19T11:42:08.451Z, indicating this comparison reflects that observation date.

Authentication requirements

Authentication models split clearly: 1Forge and Amdoren both require an API key, while api-mint and Bank of Russia operate with no authentication. This creates a practical divide — developers needing zero-setup access can use the latter two immediately, whereas the former two require registration and key management. The directory records do not specify rate limits, key rotation policies, or whether the API key tiers include free quotas.

Data breadth and specialization

Amdoren explicitly states coverage of over 150 currencies. 1Forge describes forex market data, implying spot rates for major and minor pairs, but the record does not enumerate currency count. api-mint includes forex rates among several utilities, suggesting a narrower currency focus than dedicated services. Bank of Russia publishes the central bank's official rates, which may not cover all global pairs but carries regulatory authority for ruble conversions. No record provides update frequency, historical depth, or bid/ask spread details.

Source authority and use-case fit

Bank of Russia is the official central bank source, making it the authoritative reference for ruble-denominated rates and regulatory compliance in Russia. 1Forge and Amdoren are commercial aggregators; their data provenance (e.g., contributor banks, update latency) is not described in the records. api-mint is a multi-utility endpoint hosted on Cloudflare Workers, with no stated data lineage for its forex component. For production systems, teams should verify whether each source meets audit, latency, and coverage requirements.

Next evaluation steps

To move beyond directory metadata, teams should: (1) review each provider's current documentation at the listed URLs for endpoint schemas, rate limits, and SLA terms; (2) test live responses for latency, payload structure, and error handling; (3) confirm currency pair coverage against actual application needs; (4) assess authentication workflow fit (API key issuance vs. keyless); (5) verify data licensing and redistribution rights directly with each provider. The records do not include pricing, versioning, or deprecation policies.