TheRundown
  1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. API migration guide

API migration guide

Switch from The Odds API: a 10-minute first request

Move a first The Odds API request to TheRundown: map sport, book and market IDs, swap authentication, and compare credits with actual returned data points.

· 4 min read

Choose TheRundown when your application needs source-level odds joined to scores under a shared event ID, public self-serve plans and a path to WebSocket delivery. Keep The Odds API if its polling, coverage and fields already meet the workload. This guide gets one comparable request working; a production migration requires further validation.

The ten-minute estimate assumes an API key and a working shell. It covers a first response, not a complete application. This is a TheRundown-authored guide. Vendor documentation and prices were checked October 13, 2026.

Minutes 0–2: define one comparable scope

Pick an upcoming NFL regular-season date, three main markets and three shared books. Avoid expanding to props, alternate lines or other leagues until the basic event mapping works. V4’s upcoming/live scope and a dated TheRundown response are different: compare the same selected events, not the raw array lengths.

Existing V4 input TheRundown V2 input Check
americanfootball_nfl sport_id=2 Regular season; preseason/playoffs have separate IDs
basketball_nba / baseball_mlb 4 / 3 Confirm season variant in the sport catalog
draftkings, fanduel, betmgm affiliate_ids=19,23,22 Read the current affiliates catalog
h2h, spreads, totals market_ids=1,2,3 This map covers US two-sided full-game main lines
apiKey query parameter X-TheRundown-Key header Keep the key on your server

For soccer, regulation moneyline, draws and period markets, select the actual catalog market rather than extending the table by name. Read sports, sources and market IDs.

Minutes 2–5: make the first request

Set THERUNDOWN_API_KEY in your server environment. Choose a UTC date with upcoming NFL regular-season events; an empty slate is a valid response. A Free key permits the three books below for five-minute-delayed pre-match main lines. Eligible paid access is required for in-play data and broader scopes.

export EVENT_DATE=2026-10-18
curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
  --dump-header response-headers.txt \
  --header "X-TheRundown-Key: $THERUNDOWN_API_KEY" \
  "https://therundown.io/api/v2/sports/2/events/$EVENT_DATE?market_ids=1,2,3&affiliate_ids=19,22,23&main_line=true&hide_closed=true" \
  --output events.json

The date is illustrative; change it for your test. Inspect the status and JSON before parsing prices. The header file records X-Datapoints without printing the request key. On Free, pace additional requests at no more than one per second. Use the odds API integration page for catalog/authentication checks and error handling.

Minutes 5–8: map the response, not just the URL

V4 field or structure TheRundown field or structure Migration rule
id event_id Build a provider-ID crosswalk; these are different IDs
commence_time event_date Normalize time zone and compare kickoff
home_team, away_team teams with team_id Match entities; do not use display names as permanent keys
bookmakers → markets → outcomes markets → participants → lines → prices Rewrite the iterator and preserve each source
Outcome point Line value Keep the signed spread and participant identity together
Outcome price Price object’s price Confirm American versus decimal formats explicitly

TheRundown’s moneyline price is a participant’s unlabeled line; spread and total values belong to individual rungs. Two sides at opposite spread signs are distinct entries. A quote’s closed_at is the closure signal, and a later empty string reopens that exact price. An old updated_at alone does not close it. The sports odds parser shows the nested response and off-board handling.

Minutes 8–10: measure two separate usage units

For a V4 current-odds request returning three markets in one region, the documented example costs 3 credits. Credit cost is not the number of returned price rows. Record x-requests-last on the old integration.

For TheRundown, suppose the same ten selected games each return three two-sided markets from three books, plus an event and score, with no live_game_state. The illustrative count is 10 × [2 + (3 × 2 × 3)] = 200 data points. Missing scores or prices change the count; live_game_state adds another score data point when returned. Record the actual X-Datapoints. Repeated snapshots bill returned records again.

These are separate workload calculations, not a fixed conversion factor. TheRundown paid plans have a fixed subscription fee and included points. Scope requests to the books and markets your application uses to conserve the allowance; narrower usage does not lower the base fee. See metering.

Choose the plan and validate before cutover

The Odds API publishes a $30/month entry plan with 20,000 credits. TheRundown Starter is $49/month with a 60-second delay, Pro $149 with a 30-second delay and commercial display rights, and Ultra $399 with real-time REST/WebSocket. These are different packages and units; TheRundown is not the lower-priced entry plan. Free requires no card and has daily/monthly caps. Compare the packages before changing an application that only needs scheduled polls.

Run both integrations on a bounded sample before directing production traffic to the new one. Compare kickoff, participant, market period, signed line, source, price format, open/closed state and effective freshness. Keep independent retry/rate-limit logic, preserve required links through their actual API fields, and verify your display rights. A returned source ID is not automatically a ready-made bet-slip link.

Sources checked October 13, 2026

Questions

Can I migrate a production integration in ten minutes?
Ten minutes is an estimated first-request exercise with a key and environment ready. A production cutover also needs event crosswalks, market and source checks, usage measurement, error handling and parallel validation.
Is TheRundown a drop-in replacement for The Odds API V4?
No. Base URLs, authentication, event IDs, market nesting, date scopes and usage units differ. This guide maps a narrow main-line request; it does not provide a V4 compatibility endpoint.
How many TheRundown data points equal one The Odds API credit?
There is no universal conversion. V4 credits depend on markets and regions; TheRundown usage depends on returned records. A worked example of ten fully priced games uses 200 data points without live_game_state, but actual X-Datapoints is authoritative.
Which TheRundown plan should a polling application choose?
Check its freshness and rights requirements. Free odds are five-minute delayed, Starter has a 60-second delay and internal-use rights, Pro has a 30-second delay and commercial display rights, and Ultra includes real-time REST and WebSocket. Paid plans have fixed fees and included usage.

Validate one event before switching.

Start with a no-card Free key for delayed pre-match main lines. Verify source coverage, market identity, freshness and usage before choosing a paid plan.

Get a free API keyRead the quickstart