Update Frequencies

Each NFL API endpoint updates at a variable frequency, in terms of both its cache and its data. For example, a Game endpoint may have a 3-second cache during a live game; after the game concludes this shifts to a 600-second cache, and after seven days to 4 hours. A Standings endpoint may have a 10-minute cache, with the data updating when games conclude.

Two different numbers therefore govern how you poll a feed: how long its responses cache (the TTL) and what drives its data to change. This page carries both for every NFL API endpoint, along with a recommended pull rate for non-live and live use. These frequencies should be understood and factored into your pull rate: match your cadence to the data's rhythm, not to the TTL alone, and use this page to determine the best pull frequency for your needs.

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Reading TTLs from Responses

Understanding the distinction between TTL and data updates is crucial for designing an efficient and reliable solution. TTL is focused on the length of time an object is cached, whereas data updates are concerned with the actual data within the API.

Time-to-Live (TTL)

Time-to-Live (TTL) defines the maximum duration a response may be served from cache before revalidation. TTL values are returned in the Cache-Control header for each REST feed. For example:

Cache-Control: public, must-revalidate, max-age=300

This indicates a TTL of 300 seconds. Check the header on the responses you receive rather than assuming a fixed value: several feed families serve tiered TTLs that follow activity (the game feeds by game status, the schedule feeds by whether active games are present, Player Profile and League Leaders by player status and season), and the Frequency Chart below carries each feed's tiers.

TTL is an upper bound, not a guarantee. When underlying event data changes, the cached object is proactively invalidated and replaced immediately, even if the TTL has not expired.

Data Updates

Data updates refer to the changes made to the underlying data that the API provides access to. This can occur through various operations such as creating, updating, or deleting sports data.

Data updates are critical to ensuring that the API delivers the most current and accurate information. Data entry workflows and processes specific to NFL data affect your suggested request frequency, which is why the chart pairs each feed's TTL with what drives its data to change.

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Frequency Chart

What is the right request frequency for your use? Which endpoints should you pull to get the most efficient use of your allotted calls?

The chart below provides answers to these questions, with a breakdown of the cache and data updates for every NFL API endpoint, as well as our recommended pulling frequency for non-live and live use.

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Live Game Windows

During a game window the game feeds (Game Boxscore, Game Play-by-Play, Game Statistics, and Game Roster) update in real time, and polling is driven by game status rather than by this chart: the Tracking Live Games workflow covers kickoff to closed. Their TTL follows the game: 60 seconds while a game is in scheduled status, 3 seconds once it moves to inprogress, 600 seconds when it moves to closed, and 4 hours once seven days have passed since closed.

• Before kickoff: the Boxscore, Play-by-Play, and Statistics feeds can be ignored until 10 minutes before the scheduled start, when live requests should begin. The Game Roster can be requested from around 90 minutes before the scheduled start, when NFL teams announce inactive players; see the player game statuses FAQ for when those statuses populate
• In play: request the game feeds as fast as every 3 seconds (matching the TTL)
• After the game: once a game is closed its feeds serve the 600-second TTL (4 hours after seven days); use the Daily Change Log to capture data changes after a game has ended

The schedule feeds also tighten while games are active: 10 minutes when the payload includes active games (games in non-closed status), otherwise 60 minutes for the Current Season and Current Week schedules and 4 hours for the Season and Weekly schedules. Use them for schedule info prior to a game start; for the status of a live game, reference a game endpoint.

The post-game feeds settle on their own timers after the final whistle, and the chart's live column gives the fastest useful pull for each:

• Postgame Standings update within 2 minutes of each game moving to complete; pull 2 to 5 minutes after complete to receive the quickest updates
• Tournament Schedule: teams advance to the next round on a 2-minute timer after the previous game moves to complete
• Seasonal Statistics and Player Profile seasonal stats update around 5 minutes after a game moves to closed; pull 5 to 10 minutes after closed
• League Leaders update around 20 minutes after a game moves to closed; pull 20 to 25 minutes after closed

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The Draft Window

The draft feeds carry a 2-second TTL. Draft Summary, Team Draft Summary, and Trades update in real time while the draft is live: request the Summary and Trade feeds 10 minutes before the scheduled start and poll as fast as every 2 seconds (matching the TTL). Prospects and Top Prospects move on a different rhythm: prospects are added after the NCAA football season is complete and after declaration (March), so pull them on an as-needed basis. The Tracking the Draft workflow covers the draft itself.

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Keeping a Store in Sync

• Every ten minutes or less: pull the Daily Change Log and refetch what it lists. Entries populate live for changes to teams, players, game statistics, schedules, and standings; the log day starts at 05:00:00 UTC and ends at 04:59:59 UTC, and the TTL is 15 minutes for the current day, 1 hour for the current month, 4 hours for the current year, and 12 hours for past years. The workflow is on the Monitoring Data Changes page
• Every hour or less: the Current Season Schedule and Current Week Schedule (each returns the schedule for the season or week containing the next upcoming game in created status and moves on when the first game of the next season type or week is moved to created, which typically happens after the final injury report is released, e.g. Sunday for Monday games; the season feed transitions from Preseason to Regular Season to Postseason), the Season Schedule, Daily Transactions (updates in real time as transactions are entered), Free Agents, Team Profile, and Team Roster (all three update in real time as changes are made to rosters or player profiles), Postgame Standings outside game windows, and Seasonal Awards (award entries are added as they are announced)
• Every hour or less during the current week: the Weekly Schedule, Weekly Injuries (injuries are made available depending on the day of a game; see the Weekly Data Entry section for specific timings on injury updates), and Weekly Depth Charts (depth charts update shortly before each game, but may be updated during or after a game)
• Daily or less: League Hierarchy (hierarchy updates appear as they are made), and during the playoffs the Tournament List and Tournament Summary (each NFL Playoff tournament entry, and the initial playoff schedule with TBD matchups, are available shortly after the regular season schedule is released; brackets and seeds are available shortly after they are made official)
• As needed: Seasons and Teams (new entries appear as they are added), Awards List (new awards appear as they are added), Seasonal Statistics, Player Profile, and League Leaders outside their post-game windows (with the Daily Change Log capturing data changes after a game has ended), and the game and draft feeds outside their live windows

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Best Practices

• Read the Cache-Control header on every response rather than hardcoding TTLs: values differ by feed and, for the game and schedule feeds, by game state
• Factor both numbers into your pull rate: the TTL bounds how long a response may be served from cache, while the Data Updates column tells you when the data itself changes
• Start from the recommended rate in the chart and adjust it to your product's needs
• Use the schedule feeds for schedule info prior to a game start; for the status of a live game, reference a game endpoint
• Pull statistics and profile feeds as needed and let the Daily Change Log capture data changes after a game has ended
• Visit our Headers documentation to learn how to interpret and use header responses to access the freshest sports data