Simkl API

Video / API Key Intermediate HTTPS
Varies by plan (check documentation)

Overview

Simkl is a tracking service for movies, TV shows, and anime that also exposes a developer API. You can search for titles, get detailed metadata, and manage a user's watchlist with OAuth. It's a solid choice if you want richer anime support alongside movies and TV.

💡

Beginner Tip

Start with the public search endpoint which only requires a client_id — no OAuth needed. Once you want to read or write a user's watchlist, you will need to complete the full OAuth 2.0 flow.

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 title of the movie, show, or anime.
year The release year of the title.
type Content type: "movie", "show", or "anime".
ids.simkl Simkl's own internal ID, useful for fetching detailed info.
ids.imdb The corresponding IMDb ID string (e.g. "tt1375666").

Implementation Example

const url = "https://simkl.docs.apiary.io/";
// 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

401 Unauthorized Missing or invalid client_id in the request.
Register an app at simkl.com/apps/new to get a client_id and include it in every request.
429 Too Many Requests You have exceeded the rate limit for the API.
Add delays between requests or cache responses locally to reduce the number of calls.
Empty results array The search query did not match any titles in Simkl's database.
Try a shorter or differently spelled query, or use the Simkl ID directly if you already have it.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 0/30
⚡ Speed 15/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 12/20
✓ Reliability 0/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

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

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