# Open Library

An open, editable catalog of books, editions and authors run by the Internet Archive, with JSON APIs for search, covers and records, plus full monthly data dumps.

- Category: Books and libraries · by Internet Archive
- Website: https://openlibrary.org/
- Live data: no
- Checked on the official pages: 2026-10-23

## API

- Official API: yes, docs https://openlibrary.org/developers/api
- Key needed: no
- Price: not stated; limits: 1 request per second without identification; 3 requests per second with a User-Agent containing app name and contact email. Not for bulk download or high-traffic commercial backends.
- Base URL: https://openlibrary.org/
- Formats: json, yaml, rdf, xml

Example request:

```
https://openlibrary.org/search.json?q=the+lord+of+the+rings&limit=5
```

## Data and license

- Download: https://openlibrary.org/developers/dumps (tsv, json), editions dump (~ 9.2G), works dump (~ 2.9G), authors dump (~ 0.5G), all types dump (~ 12.4G), complete dump (~ 29.6G)
- License: No new rights asserted by the Internet Archive (Open Library licensing note) (https://openlibrary.org/developers/licensing); covers Catalog metadata in the Open Library database; some contributions may carry existing rights; API use limited to human-centered, non-bulk use
- Commercial use with conditions
- Credit: not stated
- Embedding unclear
- Quote (api_official): "Open Library provides APIs in JSON, YAML and RDF/XML formats to support public-good, open, human-centered book discovery and lookup services." (https://openlibrary.org/developers/api)
- Quote (api_key): "Default (non-identified requests): 1 request per second Identified requests (with User-Agent and email ): 3 requests per second" (https://openlibrary.org/developers/api)
- Quote (limits): "These APIs are not intended to serve as a bulk data backend or high-traffic commercial infrastructure. For bulk access, please download our free monthly data dumps" (https://openlibrary.org/developers/api)
- Quote (download): "Open Library provides dumps of all its data, generated every month." (https://openlibrary.org/developers/dumps)
- Quote (license): "The Internet Archive does not assert any new copyright or other proprietary rights over any of the material in the Open Library database. There may be existing rights issues on some contributions and in some jurisdictions." (https://openlibrary.org/developers/licensing)
- Quote (commercial): "Use Open Library as a backend for high-traffic commercial services" (https://openlibrary.org/developers/api)

## Rules for an agent

- Append .json to any /works/, /books/ or /authors/ URL; batch lookups through search.json; set a User-Agent with app name and contact email for 3 req/s; use the monthly dumps for anything bulk.
- Stay under 1 req/s (3 req/s with a User-Agent naming your app and contact email); cache responses.
- Do not scrape HTML or bulk-download via the API; use the monthly dumps.
- Do not use the API as the backend of a high-traffic commercial service.

## Build ideas on AgentGid

- [A reading list app with real covers](https://agentgid.com/resources/ideas/reading-list-with-covers/agent.md)

Human page: https://agentgid.com/resources/open-library/
Source: AgentGid (agentgid.com). Facts are quoted from the site's own pages; check the license page before you ship.