Companies House has launched a streaming API as the next step in opening up its data for use by third parties.
It said it is the first organisation in government to do so, and that it will help its users access real time information about companies more easily.
The agency initially released an API in 2015, enabling applications developers to read data directly from its Companies House Service using their own software.
It has now produced the streaming API, which allows users to tap into a specific stream of data from the register and receive information on updates through a constantly running connection.
The move takes in four types of data, on company information, filing history, charges and insolvency cases.
Earlier difficulties
It derives from feedback on the earlier launch, which highlighted that it was difficult to identify changes amid large volumes of bulk data, and that there was a time lag that often kept users out-of-date.
Writing in a blogpost on the issue, Companies House’s head of IT services Ken Jones says: “This service will be hugely beneficial to users who rely on our data, especially those who request the data in bulk.
“The streaming API will also be an alternative method for those users who currently trawl CHS for new data, and this will reduce the load on the web service.”
