Getting started: What kind of thing can we do with the SE-API that we can't do with the SE Data Explorer?

Question

I want to know if my slender grasp of the latter will help me learn about the former.

Steffen Opel · Accepted Answer · 2010-07-02 14:44:51Z

You can get meta data about a site as well as about all sites and users within the Stack Exchange sites network, see e.g. the following routes:

Api Routes

StackAuth Routes

/sites
- Returns a list of all the sites in the StackExchange network
/users/{id}/associated
- Gets all the associated user accounts across the StackExchange network as identified by the given association_id.

This kind of meta and cross site information is not available via the Stack Exchange Data Explorer.

jjnguy · Answer 2 · 2010-07-02 14:49:10Z

up vote 1 down vote

Another feature only available is the /user timed_penalty_date which is the time when a user leaves the penalty box.

answered Jul 2 '10 at 14:49

jjnguy
2,876410

Nathan Osman · Answer 3 · 2010-07-01 15:52:24Z

up vote 5 down vote

You can fetch live data for one. The data explorer uses data that is up to a month old.

answered Jul 1 '10 at 15:52

Nathan Osman♦
18.3k32472

3 Answers