A
APIs Score

Flickr API

Photography / OAuth Advanced HTTPS
63 C
Metadata Score 0 50 100 Metadata estimate · not endpoint-tested
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Overview

The Flickr API gives you access to the massive Flickr photo library, letting you search photos, fetch albums, and manage a user's photostream. It supports both read-only public access (great for browsing) and OAuth-authenticated access for managing your own photos. Flickr is one of the oldest and largest photo-sharing communities on the web.

Beginner Tip

Use the flickr.photos.search method with format=json&nojsoncallback=1 to get clean JSON responses. You only need OAuth if you want to upload or modify photos—read-only searches work with just an API key.

Available Data

The kind of data this API exposes, based on its documentation. We could not call the endpoint to confirm the exact field names.

image URLs in multiple sizes
photographer credit
image dimensions
download link
color data
Use case: Integrate flickr services data into web and mobile applications

Example Response

Illustrative shape only — we were not able to call this endpoint (it requires credentials or exposes no public sample URL), so the fields below show the kind of data this API returns rather than a recorded response.

JSON Response · Illustrative 
{
  "id": "Dwu85P9SOIk",
  "urls": {
    "full": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-...",
    "regular": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-...?w=1080",
    "thumb": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-...?w=200"
  },
  "width": 4000,
  "height": 3000,
  "user": {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "username": "johndoe"
  }
}

Field Reference

photos.photo[].id Unique Flickr photo ID used to construct the photo URL.
photos.photo[].title Title of the photo as set by the photographer.
photos.photo[].owner Flickr user NSID of the photo's owner.
photos.photo[].server Server number needed to build the static image URL.
photos.pages Total number of pages of results available.
photos.total Total number of photos matching the search query.

Implementation Example

Calls a real endpoint of this API. Replace any placeholder credentials with your own key.

Request 
const url = "https://api.flickr.com/services/rest/?method=flickr.photos.search&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&text=sunset&format=json&nojsoncallback=1&per_page=10";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
  "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Generated guidance based on this API's documentation, not observed by us. Treat it as a starting point and check against the provider's own error reference.

100 Invalid API Key The api_key parameter is missing or incorrect.
✓ Create an app at flickr.com/services/apps/create/ to get a key, then pass it as ?api_key=YOUR_KEY.
JSONP callback wrapper in response The nojsoncallback=1 parameter was not included.
✓ Always add &nojsoncallback=1 when you want plain JSON without the jsonFlickrApi() wrapper.
98 Login failed / Invalid auth token You are trying to access a private or write endpoint without a valid OAuth token.
✓ Complete the OAuth 1.0a flow (Request Token → Authorize → Access Token) to get credentials for private access.

Metadata Score Breakdown

Estimated from metadata — endpoint not independently tested

This score is estimated from observable metadata — HTTPS support, authentication model, declared CORS, and documentation reachability — because the API requires authentication or exposes no publicly testable endpoint. The five-signal breakdown is only shown for live-tested APIs.

Metadata estimate · endpoint not independently tested

How is this scored? →

Technical Specifications

Auth OAuth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Photography
Difficulty Advanced
Listing details not endpoint-verified

Alternatives to Flickr

Technical alternatives for different use cases.

Imgur

Photography-focused platform with EXIF data and albums

Better For

Meme and casual image hosting

Trade-off

Photography communities and EXIF metadata access

Pexels

Free stock photos and videos with simple API

Better For

Combined photo and video content needs

Trade-off

User-uploaded niche photography collections

Unsplash

Modern stock photography with consistent high quality

Better For

Professional-quality images with permissive licensing

Trade-off

Historical photos and Creative Commons variety

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