Ahrefs free DR API Authentication starting August 10 2026

Ahrefs will require authentication for its free Domain Rating API endpoint starting August 10, 2026, after which unauthenticated requests will receive a 401 Unauthorized error. The endpoint remains free and does not consume API units, but all requests must include a free API key from an Ahrefs account. Ahrefs advises users to migrate now by signing up for a free account, generating an API key, and adding it to requests via the Authorization header.

Public /en/api/reference/public Crawler Domain rating free API + MCP Authentication required starting August 10th, 2026This endpoint currently works without authentication, but from August 10th, 2026 all requests must include an API key. API keys are free. The endpoint remains completely free and does not consume API units. Unauthenticated requests will receive 401 Unauthorized after this date. You can migrate now — there's no need to wait for the switch date: Sign up for a free Ahrefs account if you don't have one - Generate an API key in Account settings → API keys - Add it to your requests: Authorization: Bearer <token Requests to this endpoint are free and do not consume any API units. Use of this data is subject to the Domain Rating License at http://ahrefs.com/legal/domain-rating-license http://ahrefs.com/legal/domain-rating-license . Attribution required: "Domain Rating by Ahrefs" https://ahrefs.com/ https://ahrefs.com/ . Query parameters The target of the search: a domain or a URL. The output format. Responses Current strength of your target's backlink profile compared to the other websites in our database on a 100-point logarithmic scale. URL of the license terms that apply to use of Domain Rating data. Warning about unauthenticated access.