Open Library

API

Free API for books, covers, and literary metadata

Overview

The Open Library API provides RESTful endpoints to retrieve book metadata (titles, authors, ISBNs, editions), public domain book texts, and cover images. Responses are in JSON format. Key endpoints include /books (by ISBN/OLID), /covers (for book images), /authors (author details), and /search (text search across books). Ideal for building book recommendation tools, library catalog integrations, educational apps, or enhancing e-commerce platforms with literary data. Basic access requires no API key.

Example Integration (JavaScript)

script.js JS


fetch('https://openlibrary.org/developers/api')
  .then(res => res.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

Key Features

RESTful
JSON support
No Auth required (basic use)
Cover image access
Public domain text retrieval
Supports ISBN/OLID identifiers

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Open Library API free to use?

Yes, the Open Library API is completely free for both personal and commercial use with no hidden costs.

? Does it require an API Key?

No, most basic endpoints (search, metadata, covers) do not need an API key. Authenticated access is available for higher rate limits.

? What is the response format?

Nearly all responses from the Open Library API are in JSON format, which is easy to parse and integrate into applications.

Top Alternatives

Google Books API Compare

Tool Info

Pricing Free

Category Books

Platform Public API

Pros

⊕ Free for all use cases
⊕ Extensive metadata database
⊕ Easy to integrate
⊕ Covers public domain works
⊕ Multiple identifier support

Cons

⊖ Rate limits for unauthenticated requests
⊖ No official SLA
⊖ Some metadata may be incomplete