Today, Vantage is releasing improved APIs with accompanying SDKs for instances.vantage.sh (also known as ec2instances.info). Engineers and FinOps practitioners can now access compute pricing and specifications across AWS, Azure, and GCP programmatically for incorporation into their own workflows and applications.

Vantage maintains instances.vantage.sh, the free, open-source site for viewing and comparing the pricing and specs of AWS, Azure, and GCP VMs, alongside its core cloud cost management platform. Previously, there were two places where APIs were available for users of Instances to retrieve data programmatically:

• Vantage product prices APIs: that required signing up for the Vantage platform
  • /products/{product_id}/prices/ - Pricing for all EC2 instance types
  • /products/{product_id}/prices/{id} - Pricing for a single EC2 instance type
  • /products - Specifications for all EC2 instance types
  • /products/{id} - Specifications for a single EC2 instance type
• The /instances.json endpoint - An endpoint to retrieve all instances data available. This could be utilized with getAll*Instances by users looking for bulk data retrieval or without a Vantage login.

Now, you can access dedicated SDK-backed APIs at instances-api.vantage.sh, offering faster and more granular updated endpoints. The SDKs are currently available in TypeScript and Python.

The global, non-China Instances APIs include:

• getGlobalInstance - Pricing and specifications for a single instance type (non-China)
• getGlobalInstanceFamily - Pricing and specifications for an instance family specified (non-China)
• getAllGlobalInstances - Pricing and specifications for all instance types (non-China)
• runVirtualInstances - instances.vantage.sh but headless

The same APIs are also available for China instances:

• getChinaInstance - Pricing and specifications for a single instance type (China)
• getChinaInstanceFamily - Pricing and specifications for an instance family specified (China)
• getAllChinaInstances - Pricing and specifications for all instance types (China)

To get started, head to instances-api.vantage.sh or check out the README to explore the APIs and sign up. The old APIs are still available for the time being but may be deprecated in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is being launched today?

A new, dedicated API with accompanying SDKs for instances.vantage.sh with faster, more flexible endpoints and up-to-date pricing data.

2. Who is the customer?

Developers, FinOps practitioners, and anyone building tooling that needs programmatic access to cloud instance pricing and specs.

3. How much does this cost?

The API is free.

4. Do I need a Vantage account to use the new APIs?

No, you do not need a full Vantage account. You only need to provide your email to generate an API key.

5. Why do I need to input my email to access the APIs?

We require an email to prevent abuse, manage API usage, and ensure fair access for all users.

6. Which clouds are supported?

The APIs and SDKs provide programmatic access to compute pricing and specifications for AWS, Azure, and GCP, including separate endpoints for China regions.

7. Can I still use curl or direct HTTP requests?

Direct HTTP access is possible and documented in the README, but the SDKs are recommended as they handle authentication, streaming, and formatting for you.

8. Will the old APIs still be available?

The old APIs are currently still available but may be deprecated in the future. It is recommended to switch to the new APIs for better performance and fresher data.

9. Where do I go to get started?

Visit instances-api.vantage.sh to sign up and get started.