Open Movie Database API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Video / API Key Intermediate HTTPS
Varies by plan (check documentation)

Overview

The Open Movie Database (OMDb) API lets you search for movies, TV shows, and episodes by title or IMDb ID. It returns details like plot summaries, cast, ratings, and poster images. Perfect for building your own movie search app or adding film info to any project.

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Beginner Tip

Get your free API key at omdbapi.com — the free tier allows 1,000 requests/day which is plenty for personal projects. Always use the "t" parameter to search by exact title or "i" for a precise IMDb ID lookup.

Available Data

movie title and year
director and cast
plot summary
IMDb rating
poster image URL
genre and runtime

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "Title": "Inception",
  "Year": "2010",
  "Rated": "PG-13",
  "Runtime": "148 min",
  "Genre": "Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi",
  "Director": "Christopher Nolan",
  "Actors": "Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt",
  "Plot": "A thief who steals corporate secrets through dream-sharing technology...",
  "imdbRating": "8.8",
  "Poster": "https://example.com/inception.jpg"
}

Field Reference

Title The official title of the movie or TV show.
Year The release year (or year range for a series, e.g. "2010-2014").
imdbRating The IMDb user rating out of 10 (e.g. "8.8").
Plot A short plot summary; use plot=full for the extended version.
Poster URL of the movie poster image, or "N/A" if unavailable.
Response "True" on success, "False" on error — always check this before reading other fields.

Implementation Example

const url = "http://www.omdbapi.com/";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
  "X-API-Key": "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

Movie not found! The title spelling is incorrect or the movie does not exist in OMDb.
Double-check the exact movie title or use the IMDb ID (e.g., i=tt1375666) for a precise match.
401 Unauthorized / Invalid API key! The API key is missing, incorrect, or not yet activated.
Make sure you have registered at omdbapi.com and confirmed your email. Pass the key as apikey=YOUR_API_KEY in the query string.
Too many results / empty response A broad search query matches too many titles, or the "s" search returns a list instead of a full record.
Use the "t" parameter with a specific title, or pick a result from "s" results and then fetch it by imdbID.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 15/20
🔒 Security 10/15
🛠 Developer XP 12/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth API Key
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Video
Difficulty Intermediate
Verified: 2026-04-04

Recipes Using Open Movie Database

Build something with this API. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions and code outlines.

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