Holidays API vs Check Holidays API: What to Choose?

In today's globalized world, understanding public and non-public holidays across different countries is essential for businesses, travelers, and event planners. Two popular APIs that provide this functionality are the Check Holidays API and another API that we will compare in this post. This article will delve into a detailed comparison of these APIs, focusing on their features, performance, scalability, and use cases to help you make an informed decision on which API to choose for your needs.

Overview of Check Holidays API

The Check Holidays API is designed to help users keep track of public and non-public holidays around the world. It supports a vast list of countries, allowing users to check what holidays are celebrated in specific regions. This API retrieves a comprehensive list of holidays for a given country, covering the current year, future years, and previous ones. It supports 195 countries worldwide, making it a robust solution for global holiday tracking.

To use the Check Holidays API, you simply need to pass the country of your choice, select the year, and optionally specify the month and day you want to check. The API will return the holiday's date, its name, whether it is public or not, and the day of the week it will be celebrated.

Key Features and Capabilities of Check Holidays API

Get Holidays

The "Get Holidays" feature allows users to retrieve holidays for a chosen country within a specified time period. This feature requires two parameters: countryCode (e.g., US) and year (e.g., 2019). This capability is essential for businesses and individuals who need to plan around holidays.

[
  {
    "date": "2023-01-01",
    "localName": "New Year's Day",
    "name": "New Year's Day",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "fixed": false,
    "global": false,
    "counties": ["GB-NIR"],
    "launchYear": null,
    "type": "Public"
  },
  {
    "date": "2023-01-02",
    "localName": "New Year's Day",
    "name": "New Year's Day",
    "countryCode": "GB",
    "fixed": false,
    "global": false,
    "counties": ["GB-ENG", "GB-WLS"],
    "launchYear": null,
    "type": "Public"
  }
]

In this response, each holiday entry includes:

• date: The date of the holiday.
• localName: The name of the holiday in the local language.
• name: The English name of the holiday.
• countryCode: The ISO code of the country.
• fixed: Indicates if the holiday is fixed or movable.
• global: Indicates if the holiday is celebrated globally.
• counties: Lists specific regions within the country that observe the holiday.
• launchYear: The year the holiday was first observed.
• type: The type of holiday (e.g., Public, Observance).

Available Countries

This feature allows users to retrieve a list of all available countries supported by the API. It is a straightforward endpoint that provides essential information for users who want to know if their country is supported.

{
  "message": "Available Countries",
  "total": 233,
  "countriesAvailable": [
    "afghanistan",
    "albania",
    "algeria",
    "american-samoa",
    "andorra",
    "angola",
    "anguilla",
    "antigua-and-barbuda",
    "argentina",
    "armenia",
    "aruba",
    "australia",
    "austria",
    "azerbaijan",
    "bahrain",
    "bangladesh",
    "barbados",
    "belarus",
    "belgium",
    "belize",
    "benin",
    "bermuda",
    "bhutan",
    "bolivia",
    "bosnia",
    "botswana",
    "brazil",
    "british-virgin-islands",
    "brunei",
    "bulgaria",
    "burkina-faso",
    "burundi",
    "cape-verde",
    "cambodia",
    "cameroon",
    "canada",
    "cayman-islands",
    "central-african-republic",
    "chad",
    "chile",
    "china",
    "colombia",
    "comores",
    "republic-of-the-congo",
    "dr-congo",
    "cook-islands",
    "costa-rica",
    "ivory-coast",
    "croatia",
    "cuba",
    "curacao",
    "cyprus",
    "czech",
    "denmark",
    "djibouti",
    "dominica",
    "dominican-republic",
    "timor-leste",
    "ecuador",
    "egypt",
    "el-salvador",
    "guineaecuatorial",
    "eritrea",
    "estonia",
    "eswatini",
    "ethiopia",
    "falkland-islands",
    "faroe-islands",
    "fiji",
    "finland",
    "france",
    "french-guiana",
    "french-polynesia",
    "gabon",
    "gambia",
    "georgia",
    "germany",
    "ghana",
    "gibraltar"
  ]
}

This response provides:

• message: A confirmation message indicating the request was successful.
• total: The total number of countries available.
• countriesAvailable: An array of country names supported by the API.

Holidays by Country

The "Holidays by Country" feature allows users to enter a country name and an optional year to retrieve detailed holiday information. This is particularly useful for users who want to focus on a specific country and year.

{
  "country": "denmark",
  "year": 2024,
  "holidays": [
    {
      "date": "Jan 1 - Monday",
      "name": "New Year's Day",
      "type": "National Holiday",
      "details": ""
    },
    {
      "date": "Jan 14 - Sunday",
      "name": "Accession of King Frederik X",
      "type": "Observance",
      "details": ""
    }
  ]
}

This response includes:

• country: The name of the country for which the holidays are being retrieved.
• year: The year for which the holidays are being retrieved.
• holidays: An array of holiday objects, each containing:
• date: The date of the holiday.
• name: The name of the holiday.
• type: The type of holiday (e.g., National Holiday, Observance).
• details: Additional details about the holiday, if available.

Performance and Scalability Analysis

The Check Holidays API is designed to handle a large volume of requests efficiently. Its architecture supports scalability, allowing it to serve multiple users simultaneously without significant performance degradation. The API's response times are generally quick, making it suitable for applications that require real-time holiday data.

Pros and Cons of Check Holidays API

Pros

• Comprehensive coverage of holidays across 195 countries.
• Easy-to-use endpoints with clear parameters.
• Reliable data sourced from official government holiday calendars.
• Flexible querying options for specific dates and countries.

Cons

• Limited to holiday data; does not provide additional cultural context.
• May require additional handling for edge cases in holiday observance.

Example Use Cases for Check Holidays API

The Check Holidays API can be utilized in various scenarios:

• Event Planning: Businesses can use the API to avoid scheduling events on public holidays, ensuring better attendance.
• Travel Itineraries: Travelers can plan trips around holidays to experience local celebrations or avoid crowded tourist spots.
• Workforce Management: Companies can analyze holiday data to adjust staffing levels and manage operational days effectively.

Final Recommendation

In conclusion, the Check Holidays API is a robust solution for developers looking to integrate holiday data into their applications. Its comprehensive features, reliable data sources, and scalability make it an excellent choice for various use cases. For those needing extensive holiday information across multiple countries, this API stands out as a top option.

Need help implementing the Check Holidays API? View the integration guide for step-by-step instructions.