M
API Matrix

LAPIS API

Health / No Auth Required Beginner HTTPS CORS
Free to Use Varies (check documentation)
52 Score
Grade D
Visit Official Site Compare Alternatives

Overview

LAPIS (Lightweight API for Sequences) provides open access to SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequence data collected from public databases worldwide. It lets you query, filter, and aggregate thousands of viral genome sequences without any authentication. This is ideal for researchers and developers building COVID-19 genomic surveillance tools.

💡

Beginner Tip

Use the /sample/aggregated endpoint with simple filters like country or date to explore the data before diving into raw sequence queries.

Available Data

LAPIS data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Freely accessible without authentication

Example Response

JSON Response 
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "result": "Data from LAPIS",
    "description": "SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from public sources",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field Reference

count Number of sequences matching the query filters.
date Sample collection date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
country Country where the sample was collected.
pangoLineage Pango lineage designation of the viral variant (e.g., BA.2, XBB.1.5).
division Sub-national region or state where the sample was collected.

Implementation Example 

const url = "https://cov-spectrum.ethz.ch/public";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Empty result set Filter values may be misspelled or the combination returns no matching sequences
✓ Check spelling of country names (e.g., "United States" vs "USA") and verify date formats are YYYY-MM-DD.
400 Bad Request Invalid query parameter name or unsupported field combination
✓ Refer to the LAPIS documentation for supported filter fields and valid values.
Slow response / timeout Large unfiltered queries on millions of sequences can be slow
✓ Always add at least one filter (e.g., date range or country) to reduce the result size.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 0/30
⚡ Speed 10/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 20/20
✓ Reliability 7/15
Response Time 830ms

Fully tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS YES
Category Health
Difficulty Beginner
Verified: 2026-04-04

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