Spotify's Web API gives programmatic access to Spotify's catalog of 100M+ tracks. Search for any song, artist, album, or playlist; retrieve audio features (tempo, key, danceability); control playback on active devices; manage the user's library; follow artists; and create/modify playlists.
https://api.spotify.com/v1
Auth type
OAuth 2.0
Auth header
Authorization: Bearer BQC...
Rate limit
180 requests/min (approx)
Pricing
Free tier available
Free quota
API access is free with a Spotify Developer account
Documentation
https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/web-api
Endpoint status
Server online — HTTP 401 — server is online but path returned an error (may require auth)707ms
(checked Mar 29, 2026)
Builder score
B
73%
builder-friendly
Use OAuth 2.0. Client credentials grant for catalog access; Authorization Code + PKCE for user data and playback control.
Authorization: Bearer BQC...
Spotify API is free for all developers. Playback control requires users to have Spotify Premium. Extended Quota Mode requires approval.
| Method | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GET | /search |
Search tracks, albums, artists, playlists |
| GET | /tracks/{id} |
Get track metadata |
| GET | /audio-features/{id} |
Get audio analysis (tempo, key, energy) |
| GET | /recommendations |
Get personalized track recommendations |
| GET | /me/player |
Get current playback state |
| PUT | /me/player/play |
Start or resume playback |
| POST | /users/{id}/playlists |
Create a playlist |
curl "https://api.spotify.com/v1/search?q=Daft+Punk&type=artist&limit=1" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPOTIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN"
{
"artists": {
"items": [{
"id": "4tZwfgrHOc3mvqYlEYSvVi",
"name": "Daft Punk",
"popularity": 80,
"followers": {"total": 9842341},
"genres": ["french house", "electronic"],
"images": [{"url": "https://i.scdn.co/image/...", "width": 640}]
}]
}
}
Data sourced from API Map. Always verify pricing and rate limits against the official Spotify documentation.