# Positionstack

> Positionstack is a forward and reverse geocoding REST API covering 2+ billion global places and addresses and handling over 1 billion lookups per day. It is used to convert addresses into coordinates for maps and delivery routing, resolve coordinates back into street addresses, validate and normalise address input at checkout, enrich records with region and timezone data, and embed simple maps. Forward geocoding takes a plain-text address or place name such as "Eiffel Tower"; reverse geocoding takes latitude and longitude. Both return an array of candidate matches, each with a confidence score, so ambiguous input can be ranked rather than guessed. A result carries the coordinates, a formatted label, and the parsed components — house number, street, postal code, neighbourhood, administrative area, region and region code, country and country code, and place type — plus an embeddable map_url, a country module with capital, flag, area, calling codes, currencies and languages, a timezone module with the IANA name and UTC offset, and a sun module with sunrise, sunset and transit times. Data is sourced from Nominatim, GeoNames, Pelias and OpenStreetMap, updated multiple times per day and filtered for consistency. Responses come in JSON, XML, or GeoJSON over HTTPS, with response times between 10 and 100 ms and an average uptime near 99.9%. Positionstack is part of the APILayer suite (one account, one API key, one dashboard across the APILayer product family).
A free API key is available at https://positionstack.com/signup/free — the Free Plan includes 100 requests per month with forward and reverse geocoding and HTTPS, restricted to non-commercial use, without support, and on a strict rate limit; paid plans add commercial-use rights, standard support, an extended rate limit, XML and GeoJSON output, embeddable maps, and multi-language responses, with batch requests from the Professional tier upward. Paid tiers are Basic ($9.99/month, 100,000 requests), Professional ($49.99/month, 1,000,000 requests, adds batch requests), and Business ($99.99/month, 3,000,000 requests), with custom Enterprise pricing and a flexible rate limit at that level, and up to 15% off on annual billing. To call the API, append your access_key as a query parameter. The base URL is api.positionstack.com/v1. A forward lookup is one HTTP GET request: api.positionstack.com/v1/forward?access_key=YOUR_KEY&query=565+5th+Ave. The endpoints are Forward (GET /v1/forward, taking a query address or place name), Reverse (GET /v1/reverse, taking comma-separated latitude and longitude), and a batch mode that accepts multiple semicolon-separated queries in one call on supporting plans. Optional parameters control the output format, result limit, language, country and region filtering, and which modules are returned. Billing note: a request only consumes quota when it returns geocoding data, so requests that error out are not counted. Usage notifications are sent at 75%, 90%, and 100% of the monthly allowance, after which overage fees apply.
## Getting Started
- [Positionstack Homepage](https://positionstack.com/): Free forward and reverse geocoding API for 2+ billion addresses
- [API Documentation](https://docs.apilayer.com/positionstack/docs/api-documentation): Full reference — endpoints, parameters, response objects, modules, errors, and code examples
- [Free API Key Signup](https://positionstack.com/signup/free): Create a free account with 100 monthly requests
- [Login](https://positionstack.com/login): Access your dashboard, API key, and usage statistics
- [Pricing](https://positionstack.com/pricing): Free and premium plan tiers with request volumes, rate limits, and feature access
## Tools
- [API Status](https://status.positionstack.com): Public status page for API performance, uptime, and incidents
- [Overage Billing Documentation](https://positionstack.com/billing-overages-documentation): How per-request charges apply once a plan's monthly quota is reached
## Resources
- [FAQs](https://positionstack.com/faq): Common questions on data sources and accuracy, forward vs. reverse geocoding, embeddable maps, plans, and payment
- [APILayer Blog](https://blog.apilayer.com/): Tutorials, use cases, and product updates
## Support
- [Contact Us](https://positionstack.com/contact): Sales and technical support
- [Get a Quote](https://positionstack.com/contact/quote): Custom and high-volume plan inquiries