Using an API service that is not officially public
Hi Indies,
I am trying to ascertain if I am in a gray area of using a API I had discovered through reverse engineering. I want to use the API to build a service on top of it, and probably monetize it in the future. However, I do not know if I am breaking any laws.
Does anyone have a similar experience ? And what do I do ? Should contact the API provider to seek permission to be on the safe side ?
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Your question is a little complicated. On one side, you are saying you are using an API that is not officially public. Does it mean you are using a private API? Private APIs are usually designed by companies and business to manage an organizational task or for organizational use. However, companies hire custom developers to design such APIs and if you are using anyone's API without permission then I would say you should take permission. I don't know its legal status but morally, it is wrong.
On the contrary, I would suggest you to use any open-source public API instead of this one. You can find a variety of API services here https://blog.back4app.com/api-service/ and can pick any open-source and free one. In this way, you can use API without any guilt and copyright issues.