Ideal when your canonical dataset is a file URL or flat export, not a live database cluster.
Excel / CSV → API
Spreadsheets in, HTTPS out
Your team already lives in Excel and CSV exports. Stop emailing attachments—ship a versioned API with row limits, trials, and subscriber analytics instead.
How it works
Three moves from raw source to a buyer-ready listing-no all-nighter on StackOverflow required.
Your sheet
Row one defines headers; everything else is data. Host the file somewhere reachable or use the file datasource flow from the dashboard.
Your contract
Map sheet names, limits, and optional query fields so buyers know exactly what they can request.
Your pipeline
Refresh the underlying file on your cadence—daily, hourly, or ad hoc—while subscriber integrations keep calling the same base path.
Ditch the slow path.
Do it the ApiClay way.
The attachment spiral
v12_final_FINAL.csv lands in inboxes across three time zones.
The ApiClay way
One HTTPS endpoint; you overwrite the source file when data changes.
The SharePoint mystery link
Links break when someone moves a folder.
The ApiClay way
Update the datasource configuration once; buyers keep the same API route.
The “API in a weekend” lie
You still have not documented the columns.
The ApiClay way
Structured metadata flows into your listing so integrators know types and limits.
The brittle scraper
A script parses HTML tables off a wiki.
The ApiClay way
Deliberate JSON backed by governed file ingestion.
The Google Sheet clone
You need live grid editing but only have CSV today.
The ApiClay way
Start with files now; graduate to database-backed listings later without changing buyer mental models.
Works with the tools you already use
Buyers and publishers integrate ApiClay APIs the same way they integrate any REST product: HTTP, keys, and OpenAPI-style docs.
Postman & Insomnia
Exercise endpoints from your workspace with the same base URL and headers we document.
curl & scripts
Automate pulls in CI, cron, or ETL without a proprietary SDK.
OpenAPI clients
Generate typed clients when your listing is backed by Swagger or custom HTTP routes.
Retool & internal apps
Point low-code tools at stable JSON endpoints instead of raw database access.
AI coding assistants
Paste OpenAPI-style docs into your AI-assisted IDE or coding chat and wire UIs or agents to live data fast—no bespoke SDK required.
Serverless & containers
Call the marketplace gateway from Lambda, Cloud Run, or your API mesh.
Endless possibilities
Do not just expose rows-ship a business buyers can subscribe to.
The FP&A assumptions API
Controllers update Excel; downstream models fetch the latest rates via HTTP.
The store SKU file
POS systems poll a stable JSON feed sourced from nightly CSV drops.
The carrier rate card
Account managers tweak CSVs; quoting engines integrate without FTP credentials.
The survey crosstab export
Publish anonymized crosstabs as an API dataset academics can cite and subscribe to.
The headcount planner
People ops maintains a workbook; internal dashboards pull headcount scenarios through the gateway.
The grounding file
Keep FAQs in CSV; assistants call the API for the freshest answers during RAG retrieval.
Simple economics: publish, subscribe, scale
You set trials, subscription plans, and pay-as-you-go credits. Buyers only pay for what they use—no surprise infra line items on your side for the gateway.
Free to list: create a company, connect your source, and go through approval like any marketplace vendor.
Trials and caps: give first-time integrators a taste without exposing unlimited rows or requests.
Credits & plans: mix recurring plans with metered overage so power users can grow into paid usage.
Burning questions
Straight answers-no lawyer-speak.
How fresh is the data?
Can buyers download the whole file?
What file types are supported?
How does file- or spreadsheet-backed publishing compare to database APIs?
Stop overthinking the API layer
Pick your datasource, wire it once in the dashboard, and ship a documented product your buyers can trust tonight.