# anilist.popular

**stable** **Advanced**

Most popular anime on AniList.

`GET /v1/anilist/popular`

## What you get

A list of Anilist results in Onekey's unified shape, in `data` (an array). An empty array is a normal, successful answer and is charged like any other; a source that reports "nothing found" as an error returns a free `404 not_found` instead.

## What it costs

- **Advanced · 5 credits** for a fresh fetch, charged only when it succeeds.
- **Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB).**
- **Free** if the request is invalid (never charged) or the source fails or reports not found (refunded).

## Parameters

This endpoint takes no parameters.

## Request

```bash
curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/anilist/popular" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

```python
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/anilist/popular",
    params={},
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
body = res.json()

if body["success"]:
    print(body["data"])
else:
    print(body["error"]["code"], body["error"]["message"])
```

```javascript
const params = new URLSearchParams({});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.onekey.dev/v1/anilist/popular?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const body = await res.json();

if (body.success) console.log(body.data);
else console.error(body.error.code, body.error.message);
```

## Recorded response

A real Anilist response, recorded and returned in Onekey's shape. Fields the platform does not provide are `null`.

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "entity": {
        "id": "16498",
        "name": "Shingeki no Kyojin",
        "url": "https://anilist.co/anime/16498",
        "description": "Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of titans. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren an",
        "status": "FINISHED",
        "stats": {
          "score": 85,
          "popularity": 1059683,
          "favorites": 78685
        },
        "year": 2013,
        "category": "Action"
      },
      "ext": {
        "englishName": "Attack on Titan",
        "format": "TV",
        "episodes": 25
      },
      "media": {
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/medium/bx16498-buvcRTBx4NSm.jpg"
      }
    },
    {
      "entity": {
        "id": "101922",
        "name": "Kimetsu no Yaiba",
        "url": "https://anilist.co/anime/101922",
        "description": "It is the Taisho Period in Japan. Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon herself. Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a “demon slayer” so that he can turn his sister back into a human, and kill the demon that massacred his family. (Source: Crunchyroll)",
        "status": "FINISHED",
        "stats": {
          "score": 82,
          "popularity": 998686,
          "favorites": 54374
        },
        "year": 2019,
        "category": "Action"
      },
      "ext": {
        "englishName": "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba",
        "format": "TV",
        "episodes": 26
      },
      "media": {
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/medium/bx101922-WBsBl0ClmgYL.jpg"
      }
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "platform": "anilist",
    "endpoint": "popular",
    "cached": false,
    "stale": false,
    "age_s": 0,
    "fetched_at": "2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00",
    "credits_charged": 5,
    "request_id": "7f3a9c2e5b1d4c8fa2e6d0b9c4f18e37"
  },
  "error": null
}
```

## Field mapping

How this endpoint's source fields become Onekey's [unified schema](https://onekey.dev/docs/schema.md). Fields the source lacks come back as `null`.

| Source path | Onekey field | Transform |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | `entity.id` | `toString` |
| `title.romaji` | `entity.name` | - |
| `title.english` | `ext.englishName` | - |
| `siteUrl` | `entity.url` | `safeUrl` |
| `description` | `entity.description` | `stripHtml` |
| `format` | `ext.format` | - |
| `status` | `entity.status` | - |
| `episodes` | `ext.episodes` | `toNumber` |
| `averageScore` | `entity.stats.score` | `toNumber` |
| `popularity` | `entity.stats.popularity` | `toNumber` |
| `favourites` | `entity.stats.favorites` | `toNumber` |
| `seasonYear` | `entity.year` | `toNumber` |
| `genres.0` | `entity.category` | - |
| `coverImage.large` | `media.thumbnailUrl` | `safeUrl` |

## Caching and freshness

- Fresh for about 1 hour. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
- Between 1 hour and 1 day the cached copy is still served instantly and marked `stale: true` while Onekey refreshes it in the background.
- If the source is down when a refresh is needed, the last copy can be served for up to 3 days more (marked stale).
- A "not found" is remembered for 5 minutes and is free.
- The cache is shared across all customers, which is what keeps repeat calls cheap.

## What can go wrong

| Status | Code | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 401 | `unauthorized` | Check the `x-api-key` header. |
| 402 | `insufficient_credits` | [Add credits](https://onekey.dev/pricing); your balance must cover the price. |
| 404 | `not_found` | Unknown endpoint path. |
| 422 | `invalid_params` | Fix the parameters using the table above. Free. |
| 429 | `rate_limited` | Wait `Retry-After` seconds, then retry. |
| 502 | `upstream_error` | The source failed. Refunded; retry with backoff. |

See [Errors](https://onekey.dev/docs/errors.md) for the full list and retry guidance.

Status: stable (verified against the live source).