Access to the BioCyc.org website and to BioCyc data files requires a paid BioCyc subscription for all users, obtained from SRI. Access to BioCyc also requires that you create a free account after a certain number of page views, even if you are a subscriber.
Access to the Pathway Tools software by academic users requires a free license (see table at bottom of this page). For access by commercial users, a fee is required (see table at bottom of this page).
A comparison of BioCyc.org versus Pathway Tools is provided here.
The BioCyc web-based SmartTables facility can save you significant time in answering large-scale data analysis questions, and is significantly easier to use than downloading and parsing BioCyc files. See the SmartTables menu at BioCyc.org.
We provide the BioCyc databases (such as EcoCyc and MetaCyc) as collections of data files in several alternative formats including the following.
Click here for an exact listing of files provided and their formats. Note that these files are not in a format suitable for importing into the Pathway Tools software.
The software/database bundle is a program you install on your computer (Mac, PC, Linux) that combines the Pathway Tools software with various pre-built sets of BioCyc databases. To use Pathway Tools with other PGDBs than the pre-built bundles we provide, you should download the bundle that is closest to your needs, and then download additional PGDBs from the PGDB registry using the command Browse PGDB Registry from the Tools menu. Pathway Tools functionality includes:
We provide several APIs for accessing BioCyc data:
Pathway Tools and BioCyc databases are available through different license agreements; please choose the license below that is best suited to your needs.
Software & Data-File License | Data-File License | BioCyc Subscription | |
---|---|---|---|
Materials Provided | 1. Pathway Tools Software/Database Bundle (source code available by request) 2. BioCyc data files |
BioCyc data files only | Access BioCyc.org and BioCyc data files |
Licensing Speed | Online license reviewed by SRI, usually within one business day | Quick online licensing | Purchase required |
License Terms | 1. Software is free to academics for research purposes; fee for commercial use 2. BioCyc data files: EcoCyc and MetaCyc free; paid subscription for remainder of BioCyc |
EcoCyc and MetaCyc free. Remainder of BioCyc: paid subscription for latest version; 2 year old version free. |
Paid subscription |
Obtain License | click here | click here | click here |