REST API V1.0 All Systems Operational P99 < 35ms

Postcodewise Developer Portal

Production-grade REST API and UI widgets for UK postcode intelligence, property valuations, crime statistics, schools, demographics, spatial GIS nodes, and embeddable scorecards.

Get Free API Key View Plans & Limits

Quickstart cURL

curl -X GET "https://postcodewise.co.uk/api/v1/postcode/SW1A1AA/intelligence" \
  -H "X-API-Key: pk_live_demo9981a2b3c4d5e6" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

Public demo key included

Architecture & Overview

The UK Location Intelligence REST API

Postcodewise delivers structured geospatial intelligence across all 33+ million UK postcodes. The API combines open government data from the Department for Education, Police.uk, HM Land Registry, ONS Census, Ofcom, and OpenStreetMap into lightning-fast, edge-cached JSON endpoints.

Base URL

https://postcodewise.co.uk/api/v1

Authentication

X-API-Key Header

Payload Format

JSON UTF-8 (ISO 8601)

Edge Latency

< 35ms (Cloudflare Edge)

Security & Access

Authentication & API Keys

Manage Keys

Every API request must include a valid API key. Authenticate by providing the key in the X-API-Key request header or as a ?key= URL query parameter (recommended for widgets & iframe embeds).

Public Demo Key (Instant Testing)

Use pk_live_demo9981a2b3c4d5e6 to prototype immediately without registering. Rate-limited to 60 requests per hour per IP.

Origin Whitelisting (CORS Security)

Prevent key theft in client-side applications by locking your API key to specific browser domains (e.g. https://myapp.com) under Settings > API Keys.

Traffic & Limits

Rate Limits & Response Headers

API quotas are evaluated on a calendar-month billing cycle. Every HTTP response returns headers indicating current quota usage and rolling frequency limits.

Plan Tier	Monthly Lookup Quota	Burst Rate Limit	Price
Free Starter	50 lookups / mo	60 req / min	£0 / month
Pro Developer	5,000 lookups / mo	300 req / min	£29 / month
Enterprise	Custom (100k - 10M+)	1,000+ req / min	Custom Agreement

Rate Limit Headers Returned:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 60 (Total request allowance in current window)

X-RateLimit-Remaining: 58 (Available requests remaining)

X-RateLimit-Reset: 1741198420 (Unix epoch timestamp of quota reset)

Status Codes & Reliability

Errors & HTTP Status Codes

The API uses standard HTTP response codes to indicate success or failure. In case of an error, a structured JSON payload is returned with human-readable diagnostic messages.

Status Code	Meaning	Description & Resolution
200 OK	Success	The request succeeded and returned the requested spatial intelligence payload.
400 Bad Request	Validation Error	Postcode format is invalid, or required coordinates are missing/out of range.
401 Unauthorized	Authentication Failed	Missing or invalid API key. Verify `X-API-Key` header.
403 Forbidden	Origin Blocked	The request Origin/Referer is not listed in your key's allowed origin list.
404 Not Found	Postcode Not Found	Postcode was not located in Royal Mail PAF or ONS NSPL dataset.
429 Too Many Requests	Quota / Rate Exceeded	Hourly burst limit reached, or monthly lookup quota consumed.

Developer Tooling

SDKs & Client Libraries

Integrate Postcodewise seamlessly in your preferred language or framework. The API adheres strictly to REST principles and OpenAPI 3.1 specifications.

Live Developer Console

Interactive API Explorer

Quick Postcode Presets:

Live Interactive API Console

v1 Live Sandbox

GET/api/v1/postcode/{postcode}/intelligence

Full Postcode Intelligence

Returns overall location score, administrative geography, and granular metrics across crime, schools, transport, housing, demographics, environment, connectivity, and lifestyle.

Target Postcode

API Key

Include Sections (?sections=)

Request Snippet

curl -X GET "https://postcodewise.co.uk/api/v1/postcode/SW1A1AA/intelligence?sections=safety,schools,housing,transport" \
  -H "X-API-Key: pk_live_demo9981a2b3c4d5e6" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

RESPONSE VIEWER SAMPLE SCHEMA

200 OK

Time: 28msSize: 2.4 KB

{
  "schema_version": 2,
  "type": "full_postcode",
  "postcode": "SW1A 1AA",
  "pc_compact": "SW1A1AA",
  "outcode": "SW1A",
  "area": "Westminster",
  "region": "London",
  "country": "England",
  "latitude": 51.501,
  "longitude": -0.1419,
  "overallScore": 84,
  "scores": {
    "overall": 84,
    "crime": 68,
    "schools": 91,
    "transport": 98,
    "housing": 76,
    "affluence": 92,
    "environment": 79,
    "connectivity": 95
  },
  "metrics": {
    "crime": {
      "total_12m": 142,
      "decile": 7,
      "safety_rating": "Moderate"
    },
    "schools": {
      "primary_count": 6,
      "outstanding_count": 4,
      "nearest_km": 0.3
    },
    "transport": {
      "nearest_station": "St James's Park Underground",
      "station_dist_km": 0.4,
      "ptal_rating": "6b"
    },
    "housing": {
      "average_price_gbp": 1250000,
      "price_change_yoy_pct": 4.2
    },
    "connectivity": {
      "max_download_mbps": 1000,
      "gigabit_available": true,
      "5g_available": true
    }
  }
}

Authenticated via X-API-KeyEdge Distributed • UK PAF Verified

No-Code & Low-Code Components

Interactive Widget Studio

Embed full location scorecards and property catchment metrics into your portal or CRM with one line of HTML, React, or Vue code.

Style Presets

Target Postcode

Brand Accent Color

#4f46e5

Embed Code

<!-- Responsive HTML Iframe -->
<iframe
  src="https://postcodewise.co.uk/widget/SW1A1AA?key=YOUR_API_KEY&theme=light&show=safety,schools,transport,connectivity&accent=%234f46e5&radius=16px"
  width="100%"
  height="440"
  frameborder="0"
  style="border-radius: 16px; max-width: 480px;"
  title="Postcodewise Location Scorecard"
></iframe>

Live Scorecard Preview SW1A 1AA

Location Scorecard

SW1A 1AA

8.4/10

Overall Score

Safety Rating

6.8 / 10

Ofsted Schools

Outstanding

Transit Links

9.8 / 10

Gigabit Fibre

Available

Receive comprehensive area report:

Integrations

WordPress Plugin

Embed Postcodewise widgets into your WordPress site effortlessly using our official plugin. You can offer postcode intelligence to your visitors directly from your content or pages.

Installation

Download the Postcodewise Widget Plugin.
Upload the plugin to your WordPress /wp-content/plugins/ directory, or install the ZIP file via the WordPress plugins page.
Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen in WordPress.
Go to Settings → Postcodewise and enter your public API key.

Usage

Use the [postcodewise_widget] shortcode anywhere on your site to display the widget. You can pass attributes to customize its appearance per instance, which overrides the global settings.

[postcodewise_widget postcode="SW1A 1AA" theme="light" show="schools,safety" accent_color="#3b82f6" border_radius="12"]

Shortcode Attributes

Attribute	Description	Example
api_key	Your public API key (overrides the global setting).	`api_key="YOUR_KEY"`
postcode	The default postcode to display on load.	`postcode="CB2 1TN"`
theme	Widget theme (`light`, `dark`, or `auto`).	`theme="dark"`
show	Comma-separated list of sections to show (e.g., `safety,schools`).	`show="safety,schools"`
accent_color	Hex code for the primary accent color.	`accent_color="#ff0000"`
border_radius	Border radius in pixels.	`border_radius="16"`

Knowledge Base

Frequently Asked Questions

How often is the underlying dataset updated?

Crime data from Police.uk is synced monthly. School inspection outcomes from Ofsted are ingested bi-weekly. Ofcom broadband speeds and property records are refreshed on continuous scheduled pipelines.

Can I cache API responses in my application?

Yes! We encourage caching responses for up to 30 days. Standard HTTP Cache-Control and ETag headers are delivered on every response for efficient conditional revalidation.

Do you support bulk CSV / batch queries?

Yes, you can upload batch CSV files directly in your Workspace under the Uploads studio, or contact us for an Enterprise high-concurrency API agreement.

What happens if my application exceeds monthly quotas?

When monthly quota is consumed, subsequent requests return HTTP status 429. Upgrades from Starter to Pro take effect immediately with zero downtime in Settings > Billing.