LaunchRepoShort answer
- Make the first successful call trivial: one base URL, a key in one step, a request to copy and the real response next to it.
- Keep one OpenAPI file as the single source. Postman and RapidAPI both recommend importing it, and APIs.guru needs a stable URL to it.
- Then list where developers already search: the Postman API Network, the RapidAPI Hub if you want built-in billing, public-apis if you have a free tier, and APIs.guru for the definition itself.
- Launch once it works without a sales call: Show HN and Product Hunt, and an MCP server if AI applications should call your API as tools.
The channels in order
Each step reuses the work of the one before. Skipping the first two makes every later listing weaker.
| Channel | What it gives you | What it needs | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Your docs and a public example | The page every other channel links to, and where developers decide. | Base URL, auth in one step, a request to copy, its response, readable errors. | Your time |
| 2 Postman API Network | Discovery in Postman and in organic search; collections developers can fork. | A public workspace with a reference collection imported from OpenAPI and an overview collection. | No fee named in the publisher docs |
| 3 RapidAPI Hub | Its user base, a search-optimized profile page, keys and billing. | An API project (OpenAPI import), public visibility, pricing plans, PayPal for payouts. | Free to list; 25% of payments |
| 4 public-apis | One line in a curated list with 485k stars on GitHub. | Free access or a free tier, HTTPS, Auth and CORS facts, a description of up to 100 characters. | Free; marketing pull requests are rejected |
| 5 APIs.guru | Your definition in a public directory of API definitions. | A stable URL to a machine-readable definition such as OpenAPI. | No fee on the form |
| 6 An MCP server for your API | AI applications can call your API as tools. | A server that wraps your API, listed in the MCP registries. | The main registries are free |
| 7 Product Hunt | One launch day in front of early adopters. | A working public example and a page that non-developers understand too. | Free |
| 8 Show HN | Developers who try things and say what they think. | Something people can try right away, a plain title, you in the comments. | Free |
Channel names link to the official pages or to our profile of the platform. We name no other marketplaces here on purpose.
Get your developer tool listed where developers actually look. →
Start with a public example
Postman puts it in one sentence: success starts with the first 200 OK in the fewest steps. Write the example before any listing, because every listing will send people to it.
- One base URLPut it at the top of the docs and in the servers list of your OpenAPI file, always HTTPS.
- A key in one stepSign-up to key without a sales call. A test key or a free plan with a small quota is enough.
- A request to copyA complete command with every header. Developers paste it before they read anything else.
- The real responseShow the actual JSON that comes back, including the fields people need next.
- Errors that explainDocument the 4xx answers: missing key, wrong parameter, quota reached, each with its message.
curl "https://api.example.com/v1/forecast?city=Berlin" \
-H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY"
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
{ "city": "Berlin",
"days": [{ "date": "2026-10-01", "temp_c": 14.2 }] }
HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
{ "error": "missing_api_key",
"message": "Send your key in the X-API-Key header." }Check your OpenAPI file
Paste your openapi.json. The check reads what listing channels take from it (title, version, servers, operations, examples, auth) and shows which channel is ready. You get a Markdown plan and, if you qualify, the line in the public-apis format. It runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Why the OpenAPI file matters
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Title | The title of the API. | info.title is required; it becomes the name in every listing. |
| operationId | The id MUST be unique among all operations described in the API. | Duplicate IDs break imports and generated code; keep each one unique. |
| Import first | If you have one, we strongly suggest you start by importing your file. | Start the RapidAPI project from your OpenAPI file, not by hand. |
| Reference collection | Postman recommends you import your OpenAPI definition to create your API reference collection. | Import the OpenAPI file; do not rebuild the requests. |
| Definition | The most important requirement is the presence of a machine-readable API definition in one of the popular formats, such as: OpenAPI (formerly known as Swagger), RAML, API Blueprint, etc. | No machine-readable definition, no listing. |
| Stable URL | So please, provide us with a stable URL to the definition. | Serve the definition at a URL that does not change between versions. |
Check your tagline against every platform’s character limit →
Selling through RapidAPI
RapidAPI is the marketplace most people mean when they ask how to sell an API. Listing is free; you pay a share of what you earn. New APIs start private, so a project does not appear in the hub until you make it public.
On a US$100 plan you receive US$75 at a 25% fee, paid out via PayPal. A free plan is capped at 1,000 requests per hour and 500,000 per month.
- Import your OpenAPI file when you create the project; it fills in endpoints and parameters.
- Write a short and a long description, set the category, website and base URL, and upload a logo.
- Offer a small free plan so developers can test, then paid plans with clear quotas and overages.
- Link PayPal before the first payout; Rapid pays providers no other way.
- Keep your own docs and pricing page: the marketplace is a channel, not your only storefront.
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Listing cost | It is also free and easy to add your API to the hub. | Adding an API to RapidAPI costs nothing. |
| What you get | Adding your API to the rapidapi.com hub gets you instant exposure to our growing user base, a search engine-optimized profile page for your API, as well as features like user management and billing services. | A profile page, keys and billing come with the listing. |
| Private by default | When a user or team creates an API, by default it is a private API. | Switch the visibility to public, or nobody finds the API. |
| Free plan | Having a free pricing plan (with a small number of requests available) is vital to a good experience for a developer using your API. | A small free quota lets developers test before they pay. |
| Free limits | Free API plans are limited to 1000 requests per hour and 500K requests per month. | Heavier usage needs a paid or pay-per-use plan. |
| Marketplace fee | Rapid takes a flat 25% marketplace fee on all payments made through the API Hub. | Price your plans with the 25% share in mind. |
| Payouts | Rapid currently only pays out API providers via PayPal. | Link a PayPal account before you earn anything. |
Postman, public-apis and APIs.guru
These three cost nothing and reach developers at the moment they look for an API. Each has its own rules; follow them and a listing stays.
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| First call | This starts with getting your API consumers to their first 200 OK response in the fewest steps possible. | Measure your docs by how fast a stranger gets a 200 OK. |
| Discovery | Sharing APIs on the Postman API Network increases your API’s discovery in organic and Postman search results. | A public workspace shows up in Postman search and in web search results. |
| Secrets | If Postman detects any API keys, tokens, or similar, it replaces them with placeholders. | Use variables for keys in public collections anyway. |
| Verified publisher | Verify your team’s identity by verifying you own your domain. | The badge needs a domain you control. |
| Free access | Please make sure the API you want to add has full, free access or at least a free tier and does not depend on the purchase of a device/service before submitting. | Paid-only APIs do not belong in this list. |
| No marketing | Pull requests that are identified as marketing attempts will not be accepted. | Describe what the API does, not why it is the best. |
| Description | The Description should not exceed 100 characters. | Keep the line to 100 characters or fewer. |
Launch the API
A launch works best after the example and at least one listing are live, so every visitor can make a call on the same day.
- Show HN
- Post when people can try the API without talking to you. A plain title, the example in the first comment and quick answers matter more than the hour. How to launch on Show HN →
- Product Hunt
- Show what the API makes possible, not only the endpoints: a short demo, a free plan and a page that a non-developer understands.
- An MCP server
- If AI applications should use your API, wrap it in an MCP server and publish that to the MCP registries. It is a separate product with its own listings. MCP server directories: 10 places to list your server →
- Your changelog
- Every new endpoint or SDK is a reason to post again. Keep a public changelog and link it from the docs.
Where LaunchRepo fits
LaunchRepo runs inside your coding agent. The agent submits your product’s website to a large catalog of directories and launch platforms and keeps a tracker that separates live listings from pending ones.
Marketplace accounts, pricing plans, payouts and the MCP server stay with you, because they need your keys and decisions. LaunchRepo does not submit APIs to RapidAPI, Postman or GitHub lists; it handles the general directory forms for your API’s website.
Sources
Every rule and number was checked on October 1, 2026 on the publisher’s own page and is quoted word for word in English. Text copies are kept with our evidence.
| Source | Last updated | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAPI Specification v3.1.1 | ||
| RapidAPI docs: What is rapidapi.com? | no date given | |
| RapidAPI docs: Adding APIs - Getting Started | no date given | |
| RapidAPI docs: Hub Listing - Overview | no date given | |
| RapidAPI docs: Hub Listing - General Tab | no date given | |
| RapidAPI docs: Monetizing Your API on rapidapi.com | no date given | |
| RapidAPI docs: Payouts and Finance | no date given | |
| Postman Docs: Postman API Network overview | no date given | |
| Postman Docs: Showcase your public APIs on the Postman API Network | no date given | |
| Postman Docs: Become a verified publisher on the Postman API Network | no date given | |
| Postman Docs: Prepare your public collections | no date given | |
| public-apis/public-apis: CONTRIBUTING.md | no date given | |
| public-apis/public-apis | no date given | |
| APIs.guru: Add API | no date given |
Frequently asked questions
- How do I market an API?
- Start with a public example that gets a stranger to a first successful call in minutes, then list the API where developers search: the Postman API Network, RapidAPI if you want built-in billing, public-apis for free APIs and APIs.guru for the definition. Launch on Show HN and Product Hunt once it works without your help.
- How do I sell an API on RapidAPI?
- Create an API project in RapidAPI Studio, import your OpenAPI file, fill in the hub listing, add pricing plans, make the API public and link PayPal for payouts. Listing is free; on the check date Rapid took a flat 25% marketplace fee on payments.
- Do I need an OpenAPI file?
- Not for every channel, but it saves the most work. RapidAPI and Postman both recommend importing it, and APIs.guru lists only machine-readable definitions. Keep one file as the single source for docs and listings.
- Can a paid API go into the public-apis list?
- Only if it offers full free access or at least a free tier and needs no purchase of a device or service. The maintainers reject pull requests that read as marketing.
- Should my API also be an MCP server?
- If AI applications should call it as a tool, yes, as a separate server that wraps the API. It is listed in MCP registries, not in API marketplaces.
- Does LaunchRepo list my API on RapidAPI or Postman?
- No. Those listings need your accounts, keys, pricing and payout details. LaunchRepo submits your product website to general directories and launch platforms through your coding agent.
Let your agent handle the directories
One purchase, your coding agent, every product you build: LaunchRepo submits your API’s website to directories and launch platforms while you improve the docs.
See pricing