---
title: "Documentation"
summary: "Find the guide you need to screen names via the API, work with the bulk data, or understand how the OpenSanctions database is built."
url: "https://www.opensanctions.org/docs/"
date_updated: "2026-08-28"
---

{% cardgrid %}
{% linkcard title="Screen names via the API" %}
[Matching API quickstart](/docs/api/quickstart/)
{% /linkcard %}
{% linkcard title="Download the bulk data" %}
[Using the bulk data](/docs/bulk/)
{% /linkcard %}
{% linkcard title="See what's in the data" %}
[Understanding OpenSanctions data](/docs/data/)
{% /linkcard %}
{% linkcard title="Self-host the API" %}
[On-premise API](/docs/on-premise/)
{% /linkcard %}
{% /cardgrid %}

## Integrate screening with the API

* [Getting started with the API](/docs/api/): an overview of the OpenSanctions API and all related resources.
* [The matching API](/docs/api/matching/): make a screening call, scope your query, and interpret responses.
* [The entities API](/docs/api/entities/): look up and browse entities directly by ID.

## Work with the bulk data

* [Data formats](/docs/bulk/formats/): choose between FollowTheMoney (FtM) JSON, CSV, and plain-text exports.
* [Downloading the data and keeping it fresh](/docs/bulk/updates/): update cycles and stable URLs for automated retrieval.
* [Tracking data changes with delta files](/docs/bulk/delta/): process daily additions, modifications, and deletions instead of full re-imports.
* [On-premise OpenSanctions API](/docs/on-premise/): run the yente screening service on your own infrastructure.
* [Use OpenSanctions data in Senzing](/docs/bulk/senzing/): load our datasets into the Senzing entity resolution engine.

## Understanding the data

* [Understanding OpenSanctions data](/docs/data/): entities, identities, and the concepts behind the database.
* [Entity structure](/docs/entities/): how FollowTheMoney entities and their relationships are put together.
* [Identifiers and de-duplication](/docs/identifiers/): how entity IDs work, and how to keep stored references current.
* [Data enrichment](/docs/enrichment/): how we cross-match designated entities against reference datasets.

--------
* [Data dictionary](/reference/): the full reference of entity schemas and their properties.
* [Entity risk tagging](/docs/topics/): the topics we use to flag sanctions, criminal, and political risk.
* [Sanctions programs](/docs/programs/): the government policies that form the legal basis for designations.

--------
* [Politically exposed persons](/docs/coverage/pep/): what PEPs are and how we classify political office-holders.
* [Securities data](/docs/coverage/securities/): connecting companies to the instruments and assets described on sanctions lists.

## Run screening in production

* [Building a monitoring workflow](/docs/monitoring/): re-screen your counterparties as watchlist data changes.
* [On-premise OpenSanctions API](/docs/on-premise/): run the yente screening service on your own infrastructure.
* [Change policy](/docs/data/changes/): how we introduce changes to the data without breaking integrations.

## Contribute and research

* [Open source software components](/docs/opensource/): the data pipeline and matching software we release as free software.
* [Open building blocks](/docs/opensource/fincrime/): other free financial-crime tooling we build on or support.
* [Contributing to our data and tools](/docs/opensource/contributing/): improve our crawlers, report data issues, or propose new sources.
* [Research using OpenSanctions data](/docs/bibliography/): academic and journalistic work built on the database.
* [Contact us](/contact/): reach the team with questions the documentation doesn't answer.