Open Movie Database API
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.
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
Example 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
Matrix Score Breakdown
Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026
Technical Specifications
Recipes Using Open Movie Database
Build something with this API. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions and code outlines.
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