REST Countries SDKs & Libraries: Official and Community Integrations (2026)

SDKs overview

REST Countries offers a public API providing detailed information about countries worldwide, including names, capitals, regions, populations, and flags. While the API is accessible via direct HTTP requests, SDKs and client libraries simplify interaction by handling request construction, response parsing, and error management. These tools are available across multiple programming languages, enabling developers to integrate country data more efficiently into their applications.

The REST Countries API adheres to RESTful principles, returning data in JSON format, which is easily consumed by most programming environments. The absence of an API key requirement further streamlines the development process, making it straightforward to begin retrieving country data immediately. Developers can find comprehensive documentation for the API endpoints on the REST Countries API reference page.

SDKs typically wrap the raw HTTP calls with language-specific methods and objects, providing a more idiomatic way to interact with the service. This approach reduces boilerplate code and potential errors, allowing developers to focus on application logic rather than low-level API communication. Many open-source projects, such as those listed on Mozilla's Fetch API documentation, demonstrate how to consume RESTful services directly, but SDKs offer a more structured abstraction layer.

Official SDKs by language

REST Countries is maintained by a community and does not formally publish 'official' SDKs in the traditional sense, unlike larger enterprise APIs such as those from Google Cloud's API reference. Instead, its public nature and straightforward API design have fostered a vibrant ecosystem of community-contcontributed libraries. These libraries function as SDKs, providing structured access to the API's resources. While not officially maintained by a core team from restcountries.com, their widespread usage and open-source nature ensure ongoing development and support from their respective communities. Developers typically find stability and functionality by consulting the project's GitHub repository or package manager page for the latest updates and maintenance status.

The following table lists popular, well-maintained community libraries that serve as de facto SDKs for interacting with the REST Countries API. These libraries aim to provide a more convenient and language-idiomatic way to access country data without direct HTTP request management.

Installation

Installation procedures for REST Countries client libraries vary by programming language and package manager. Below are typical installation instructions for some of the most popular community-driven SDKs. Always refer to the specific library's documentation or repository for the most current and detailed instructions, as package names and installation methods can evolve.

JavaScript/Node.js (using npm)

For Node.js projects, the restcountries-js library can be installed using npm (Node Package Manager). This command adds the library to your project's dependencies.

npm install restcountries-js

Alternatively, if you are using Yarn as your package manager:

yarn add restcountries-js

Python (using pip)

Python developers can install the restcountries package using pip, Python's package installer. This makes the library available across your Python environment or within a virtual environment.

pip install restcountries

It is generally recommended to install Python packages within a Python virtual environment to manage project-specific dependencies effectively.

PHP (using Composer)

PHP projects typically manage dependencies using Composer. To install a community library like restcountries/restcountries-php, navigate to your project directory and run:

composer require restcountries/restcountries-php

Composer will download the package and its dependencies, creating a vendor directory and an autoloader file.

Ruby (using RubyGems)

Ruby libraries, known as gems, are installed using RubyGems. To add the rest_countries gem to your system or project:

gem install rest_countries

If you are using Bundler for dependency management in a Ruby project, add gem 'rest_countries' to your Gemfile and then run bundle install.

Quickstart example

Below are quickstart examples demonstrating how to fetch data for all countries and for a specific country using common community libraries. These snippets illustrate the basic usage patterns and how to access the country data once retrieved.

JavaScript/Node.js

This example uses restcountries-js to fetch all countries and then filter for a specific country by name.

const RestCountries = require('restcountries-js');
const countries = new RestCountries();

async function getCountryData() {
  try {
    // Fetch all countries
    const allCountries = await countries.all();
    console.log('Total countries fetched:', allCountries.length);

    // Find a specific country (e.g., Germany) by name
    const germany = allCountries.find(country => country.name.common === 'Germany');
    if (germany) {
      console.log('\nData for Germany:');
      console.log(`Capital: ${germany.capital ? germany.capital[0] : 'N/A'}`);
      console.log(`Population: ${germany.population}`);
      console.log(`Region: ${germany.region}`);
      console.log(`Flag: ${germany.flags.svg}`);
    } else {
      console.log('Germany not found.');
    }

    // Example: Fetch a country by its common name directly if the library supports it
    // Note: restcountries-js primarily fetches all and then allows client-side filtering
    // For direct API calls, you'd use 'https://restcountries.com/v3.1/name/{name}'

  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching country data:', error.message);
  }
}

getCountryData();

Python

This Python example uses the restcountries library to retrieve all countries and then specifically query for France.

import restcountries

def get_country_data():
    try:
        # Fetch all countries
        all_countries = restcountries.all()
        print(f"Total countries fetched: {len(all_countries)}")

        # Fetch a specific country (e.g., France) by name
        france = restcountries.get_country_by_name("France")
        if france:
            print("\nData for France:")
            print(f"Capital: {france.capital[0]}")
            print(f"Population: {france.population}")
            print(f"Region: {france.region}")
            print(f"Flag: {france.flags['svg']}")
        else:
            print("France not found.")

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error fetching country data: {e}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    get_country_data()

PHP

Using the restcountries/restcountries-php library, you can fetch countries and access their properties similar to the following PHP example.

<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use RestCountries\Client;

$client = new Client();

try {
    // Fetch all countries
    $allCountries = $client->all();
    echo "Total countries fetched: " . count($allCountries) . "\n";

    // Find a specific country (e.g., Japan) by common name
    $japan = null;
    foreach ($allCountries as $country) {
        if (isset($country->name->common) && $country->name->common === 'Japan') {
            $japan = $country;
            break;
        }
    }

    if ($japan) {
        echo "\nData for Japan:\n";
        echo "Capital: " . ($japan->capital[0] ?? 'N/A') . "\n";
        echo "Population: " . $japan->population . "\n";
        echo "Region: " . $japan->region . "\n";
        echo "Flag: " . $japan->flags->svg . "\n";
    } else {
        echo "Japan not found.\n";
    }

} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Error fetching country data: " . $e->getMessage() . "\n";
}
?>

Community libraries

The REST Countries API's open and free nature has encouraged a wide range of community-developed libraries and wrappers. These contributions extend beyond the examples listed, covering various languages and frameworks. When selecting a community library, consider factors such as its last update, active maintainers, number of GitHub stars, and reported issues. A well-maintained library typically has recent commits, clear documentation, and a responsive community.

For more advanced use cases, some community libraries might offer features like caching, rate limit handling (though REST Countries is generally very permissive), or integration with specific UI frameworks. Developers are encouraged to search package repositories (e.g., npm, PyPI, Packagist, RubyGems) for "rest countries" to discover the latest and most suitable options for their projects.

When an existing SDK or library doesn't perfectly fit a project's needs, developers can also opt to interact with the REST Countries API directly using standard HTTP client libraries available in their language of choice. For instance, in JavaScript, the Fetch API for web browsers or axios for Node.js environments are common choices. Similarly, Python has requests, Java has OkHttp or the built-in HttpClient, and Go has its standard net/http package. Direct HTTP calls offer maximum flexibility and control, though they require more boilerplate code for request construction and response parsing.

The REST Countries API design itself is simple enough that creating a custom client is a viable option for those who prefer minimal external dependencies or have very specific requirements not met by existing community libraries. This approach ensures full control over data handling and error management, aligning closely with the principles of HTTP/1.1 Semantics and Content as defined by the IETF.