Developer guide

OilPriceAPI with Ruby

Start with one authenticated Brent request, verify the returned source timestamp, then build outward from the canonical quickstart.

No official Ruby gem is currently published

This guide uses Ruby's built-in Net::HTTP client and cURL to call the OilPriceAPI REST API directly.

Get API key Canonical quickstart

Runtime

Ruby 3 example

Environment

OILPRICEAPI_KEY

Authentication

Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY

First request

/v1/prices/latest?by_code=BRENT_CRUDE_USD

First request

Prove the API path first

Store the key as OILPRICEAPI_KEY and run the request from a trusted server process. Do not expose the key in browser bundles, logs, notebooks, or shared documents.

No test-key prefix

OilPriceAPI does not issue special test keys. Use the keyless demo endpoint or fixtures for tests; keep customer keys out of CI.

ruby

Ruby 3 example
require "json"
require "net/http"

api_key = ENV.fetch("OILPRICEAPI_KEY")
uri = URI("https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest?by_code=BRENT_CRUDE_USD")
request = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
request["Authorization"] = "Token #{api_key}"

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true, read_timeout: 10) do |http|
  http.request(request)
end
raise "HTTP #{response.code}: #{response.body}" unless response.is_a?(Net::HTTPSuccess)

price = JSON.parse(response.body).fetch("data")
puts "#{price.fetch("code")}: #{price.fetch("price")}"

This example uses Ruby's built-in Net::HTTP client.

Universal curl

Compare your client with the contract

curl "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest?by_code=BRENT_CRUDE_USD" \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY"

Expected shape

Read the timestamp from the response

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "code": "BRENT_CRUDE_USD",
    "price": 78.41,
    "currency": "USD",
    "created_at": "2026-03-09T12:00:00.000Z",
    "type": "spot_price"
  }
}

Keyless first touch

Use demo data before signup

The demo route is the supported no-key path. It is rate limited and intentionally narrower than authenticated, account-entitled access.

curl "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/demo/prices"
Open demo response

Recover without guessing

ResultNext action
401Check that the header is exactly Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY.
402 / 403The dataset may require a plan or account entitlement. Check pricing or contact support.
429Read the rate-limit response and retry after the indicated reset; do not loop immediately.
Timeout / 5xxUse a bounded timeout and exponential backoff. Keep the last valid source timestamp visible.

Supported path

Use the REST API directly

Continue with the built-in language client above or the universal cURL request. Supported packages are available for Python, Node.js, Go, and PHP.

Continue with quickstart API documentation All commodities in one call