TVDB API

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

Overview

TheTVDB API is the go-to source for television metadata, covering series, seasons, episodes, actors, and artwork. It powers many popular media center apps and is continually updated by a large community. You need to register for a free API key at thetvdb.com to access the data.

💡

Beginner Tip

Authenticate first by posting your credentials to /login to receive a JWT token, then use that token in the Authorization header for all subsequent requests. Start with /series/search to find shows by name.

Available Data

Use case: Integrate television data data into web and mobile applications
TVDB data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Requires API key authentication

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "result": "Data from TVDB",
    "description": "Television data",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field Reference

id Unique TVDB identifier for the series or episode.
name Official name of the TV series.
overview Plot summary or description of the series.
status Current broadcast status, such as Continuing or Ended.
firstAired Date the series first aired in YYYY-MM-DD format.
image URL path to the series poster image on TVDB.

Implementation Example

const url = "https://thetvdb.com/api-information";
// 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 JWT token is missing, expired, or incorrectly formatted.
POST to /v4/login with your API key to obtain a fresh token, then set Authorization: Bearer YOUR_JWT_TOKEN.
404 Not Found Using an old v3 endpoint path with the v4 API.
Update your endpoint paths to use /v4/... -- the API version is part of the base URL.
Token expired after 30 days TVDB tokens have a 30-day validity window.
Re-authenticate by calling /v4/login again to get a new token when you receive a 401 error.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 15/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 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

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