Quick Answer
Usenet indexers are search services that scan Usenet articles and help make them searchable by keyword, group, or metadata. They provide NZB files, which act as roadmaps your newsreader uses to retrieve specific Usenet articles from your Usenet provider’s servers.
An API key is a unique token used to connect automation tools (like Sonarr, Radarr, or NZBHydra2) to those indexers, allowing automated searches and NZB retrieval.
With a valid API key and a premium Usenet provider with good retention, you can automate searches, access articles with high completion, and maintain fast, secure access to Usenet articles.
Current Deals on Premium Providers:
- Newshosting – 70% Off Unlimited + Free Newsreader and VPN
- Eweka – 27% Off Unlimited + Free Newsreader and VPN
- Easynews – 80% Off Unlimited Web Access + Free VPN
- UsenetServer – 70% Off + Free Usenet Search and VPN
- Tweaknews – 49% Off + Free Newsreader and VPN
What Is a Usenet Indexer?
A Usenet indexer scans thousands of newsgroups, collecting article headers and metadata into a searchable database. Instead of manually browsing each group, users can search by keyword and retrieve NZB files that point to the correct article segments.
Indexers can be:
- Public: Open access, but often incomplete or slow.
- Private / Invite-only: Higher accuracy, limited membership.
- Paid / Community-funded: Provide faster updates, stable APIs, and better search coverage.
Indexers don’t host articles; they help you locate them. The actual article data comes from your Usenet provider’s servers, which is why provider quality – especially article retention and completion – matters as much as the indexer itself.
How API Keys Work
When you sign up for a Usenet indexer, you’re given an API key under your account settings. This key allows automation tools to authenticate your searches and NZB requests.
Typical API request format:
https://api.indexername.com/api?t=search&apikey=YOUR_KEY&cat=5000&q=example
API keys are used to:
- Authenticate automated requests from apps like Sonarr and Radarr.
- Enforce per-user API limits and quotas.
- Track usage across different clients.
If your API key is missing, incorrect, or exceeds your daily limit, automated searches will fail. Most paid indexers offer higher quotas or unlimited API hits to premium members.
How Indexers and Usenet Providers Work Together
Indexers locate article headers; Usenet providers store the actual articles. Even with a high-quality indexer, your access depends on the provider’s retention (how long articles are stored) and completion (how many are still intact).
Providers like Newshosting, Eweka, UsenetServer, Easynews, and Tweaknews maintain Tier-1 backbones with premium article delivery and redundant storage clusters with 6368+ days of Usenet archives and near-perfect completion. That means when your automation tool pulls an NZB through an indexer, those articles are almost always available on the provider’s servers.
In short:
- The indexer finds the article.
- The API key lets your automation tool communicate with the indexer.
- The Usenet provider delivers the article with full retention and completion.
This synergy between the indexer and provider is what enables automated and customizable Usenet access.
Setting Up Indexers and API Keys in Sonarr or Radarr
- Register with your chosen indexer.
- Copy your API key from your account dashboard.
- In Sonarr or Radarr:
- Go to Settings → Indexers.
- Choose Newznab or Usenet / Newznab.
- Enter the indexer’s API URL and your key.
- Test the connection.
- Connect your Usenet provider (e.g., Newshosting, Eweka) to your client.
- Optional: Use NZBHydra2 to combine multiple indexers under one aggregated API.
Automation tools will now query indexers using your key, retrieve NZBs automatically, and send them to your newsreader or download client.
Security Tips for API Keys
- Keep your API key private: If someone else uses it, your API quota could be consumed or your account suspended.
- Avoid exposing it in public logs: Some tools log API URLs by default; redact them.
- Don’t reuse the same API key across unrelated tools: If your indexer supports multiple keys, generate separate ones per app.
- Rotate keys periodically: Especially if you suspect a leak.
Choosing a Reliable Usenet Provider for Automation
Even with perfect indexer setup, automation depends on provider reliability. Poor completion rates or missing articles will break automated retrievals.
Look for providers that:
- Offer 6368+ days of article storage.
- Maintain completion rates of 99.9% or higher.
- Operate their own Tier-1 backbone for the best possible speeds.
- Include SSL encryption and VPN protection.
Top Providers with Proven Completion:
- Newshosting – Tier-1 backbone with the world’s longest article retention.
- Eweka – EU-based independent Tier-1 provider with near-perfect completion and free newsreader with search.
- Easynews – Browser-based Usenet with built-in search, no software or indexers needed.
- UsenetServer – Fast global backbone with integrated Usenet search and VPN.
- Tweaknews – Reliable EU provider with free newsreader with search and VPN included.
Current Deals:
- Newshosting – 70% Off Unlimited + Free Newsreader and VPN
- Eweka – 27% Off Unlimited + Free Newsreader and VPN
- Easynews – 80% Off Unlimited Web Access + Free VPN
- UsenetServer – 70% Off + Free Usenet Search and VPN
- Tweaknews – 49% Off + Free Newsreader and VPN
Quick Roundup
Usenet indexers and API keys enable automation by bridging the gap between search tools and your Usenet provider.
Indexers supply the NZB metadata, API keys handle authentication, and high-quality providers deliver the actual articles with maximum article retention, completion, and speed.
When combined with automation apps like Sonarr or Radarr and a premium Tier-1 provider like Newshosting and Eweka, you get the most complete, private, and effortless way to access Usenet today.
