What is Octopart? Features, API and alternatives
Octopart is a search engine for electronic components that aggregates distributor listings, stock levels, pricing breaks, datasheets and parametric specifications in one place. It is owned by Altium and is used by design engineers, buyers and sourcing teams to find and compare parts. Its data is also available programmatically for BOM tools and procurement workflows.
Also known as: Octopart search, Octopart electronic parts search, Nexar Octopart
Octopart indexes electronic components from many franchised distributors and some other sellers, and presents a single page per manufacturer part number. A part page typically shows the manufacturer, a description, parametric attributes, datasheet links, lifecycle indicators where available, and a table of distributor offers with stock and quantity price breaks. Engineers use it to check whether a part can actually be bought before committing it to a design, and buyers use it to compare offers across sources.
The service started as an independent parts search engine and is now part of Altium. That relationship shows up in the tooling: Octopart data is surfaced inside Altium design and BOM-management products, and the programmatic interface is delivered through Altium's Nexar platform. For a manufacturer that does not use Altium tools, Octopart is still usable as a standalone website and as a data feed.
In a manufacturing stack, Octopart sits upstream of the ERP and PLM. It informs component selection and sourcing decisions, while the ERP holds the approved vendor list, purchase orders and costs. Octopart is a market-facing reference, not a system of record. Teams typically pair it with a deeper component compliance and lifecycle service when obsolescence, RoHS or REACH exposure matters, and with their own approved manufacturer list for controlled parts.
Modules and capabilities
Part search
Keyword, manufacturer part number and parametric search across a large catalog of electronic components.
Distributor offers
Aggregated stock, quantity price breaks and packaging information from many distributors for a given part.
Datasheets and specifications
Links to manufacturer datasheets and structured parametric attributes for comparing parts.
BOM tool
Upload or build a bill of materials and see matched parts, availability and pricing across offers.
Alerts and availability tracking
Notices on stock and pricing changes for watched parts, depending on the plan in use.
API access
Programmatic access to part, offer and attribute data, delivered through the Nexar platform.
Integrations and data access
API
GraphQL-based API access through the Nexar platform for parts, offers and specifications. Check current terms and rate limits with the vendor.
Altium tooling
Part and supply data is surfaced inside Altium design and component-management products for in-context availability checks.
BOM files
BOM uploads in common spreadsheet and CSV formats for matching manufacturer part numbers to offers.
ERP and procurement
No native ERP adapter should be assumed. Integrations are normally built by calling the API from middleware or a custom service and mapping to item master fields.
PLM
Often paired with PLM or BOM platforms that can pull part data from external services.
Strengths
- Fast, familiar interface that engineers adopt with little training.
- Broad aggregation of distributor listings in a single normalized view.
- Useful free tier of functionality for casual part lookups.
- Programmatic access supports automated BOM costing and availability checks.
- Tight connection to Altium design tools for teams already in that ecosystem.
Limitations
- It is a search and aggregation layer, not a compliance, lifecycle forecasting or supply chain risk platform.
- Coverage and freshness depend on distributor feeds, so listings can lag real stock.
- No on-premises deployment for isolated networks.
- Does not replace a controlled approved manufacturer list or counterfeit-risk process.
- Deep use of the API may require a commercial agreement and has usage limits.
Where AI helps Octopart users
- - Extract manufacturer part numbers from messy supplier quotes or legacy BOM spreadsheets and normalize them before lookup.
- - Draft alternate-part suggestions from parametric data and flag which candidates need engineering approval.
- - Summarize availability and price risk across a BOM in plain language for buyers.
- - Answer questions over an exported parts and offers dataset kept on-prem, so sensitive BOMs do not leave the network.
- - Cross-check the item master against part data to find duplicates and missing manufacturer references.
Evaluating Octopart? Check these
- Decide whether you need only availability and price, or also lifecycle, compliance and risk data.
- Ask about API terms, rate limits and allowed use before building automation on it.
- Test coverage with your own most-used and hardest-to-source parts, not only common ones.
- Confirm how data is refreshed and how you will treat stale offers in purchasing decisions.
- Check whether your security policy permits sending BOM contents to a cloud service.
- Plan how results map back to ERP item and vendor records rather than treating the site as a system of record.
Common alternatives: Findchips (Supplyframe), SiliconExpert, Z2Data, Accuris Parts Intelligence, Digi-Key and Mouser part search, Ariba or Coupa catalog sourcing.
Frequently asked questions
What is Octopart used for?
Octopart is used to find electronic components and compare distributor stock, pricing and datasheets. Engineers use it during design to confirm a part is available, and buyers use it to compare offers. It is a search and data layer rather than a procurement or compliance system.
Who owns Octopart?
Octopart is owned by Altium. Its data is integrated with Altium design and component tools, and its API is delivered through Altium's Nexar platform. It can still be used on its own without Altium design software.
Does Octopart have an API?
Yes. Octopart data is available programmatically through the Nexar platform, which exposes parts, offers and specifications through a GraphQL interface. Access tiers, limits and commercial terms change, so confirm current details with the vendor before building on it.
Is Octopart enough for compliance and obsolescence tracking?
Usually not on its own. It focuses on search and distributor offers. Teams that must track RoHS, REACH, conflict minerals, end-of-life notices and risk across a BOM typically add a dedicated component intelligence service such as SiliconExpert, Z2Data or Accuris Parts Intelligence.
How does Octopart fit with ERP?
It sits upstream of the ERP. Engineering uses it to select and source parts, while the ERP holds items, approved vendors, purchase orders and costs. Connecting them generally requires custom integration through the API, mapped to item master and vendor fields.
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