apple.search_albums

stable Advanced

Search albums in Apple Music/iTunes.

GET /v1/apple/search_albums

What you get#

A list of Apple 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#

Name	Type	Required	Default	What it is	Constraints
`q`	string	yes	(required)	Search query	max 200 chars; trimmed, repeated spaces collapsed
`country`	string	no	`us`	Two-letter storefront country code	max 2 chars; must match `[a-z]{2}`; trimmed, lowercased

Request#

curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/apple/search_albums?q=coldplay" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Try it

Add your key to run this call right here. No key? Get one free. The key stays in this tab.

Recorded response#

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

json

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "entity": {
        "id": "1122782080",
        "name": "Parachutes",
        "url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/parachutes/1122782080?uo=4",
        "category": "Alternative",
        "stats": {
          "itemCount": 10
        }
      },
      "ext": {
        "artist": "Coldplay"
      },
      "media": {
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music221/v4/f5/93/8c/f5938c49-964c-31d1-4b33-78b634f71fb7/190295978075.jpg/100x100bb.jpg"
      },
      "listing": {
        "price": 9.99,
        "currency": "USD"
      },
      "content": {
        "createdAt": "2000-07-10T07:00:00Z"
      }
    },
    {
      "entity": {
        "id": "1122775993",
        "name": "A Rush of Blood to the Head",
        "url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-rush-of-blood-to-the-head/1122775993?uo=4",
        "category": "Alternative",
        "stats": {
          "itemCount": 11
        }
      },
      "ext": {
        "artist": "Coldplay"
      },
      "media": {
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music115/v4/b9/b4/2a/b9b42ad1-1e25-5096-da43-497a247e69a3/190295978051.jpg/100x100bb.jpg"
      },
      "listing": {
        "price": 9.99,
        "currency": "USD"
      },
      "content": {
        "createdAt": "2002-08-26T07:00:00Z"
      }
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "platform": "apple",
    "endpoint": "search_albums",
    "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. Fields the source lacks come back as null.

Source path	Onekey field	Transform
`collectionId`	`entity.id`	`toString`
`collectionName`	`entity.name`	-
`artistName`	`ext.artist`	-
`collectionViewUrl`	`entity.url`	`safeUrl`
`artworkUrl100`	`media.thumbnailUrl`	`safeUrl`
`collectionPrice`	`listing.price`	`toNumber`
`currency`	`listing.currency`	-
`primaryGenreName`	`entity.category`	-
`releaseDate`	`content.createdAt`	`toIsoDate`
`trackCount`	`entity.stats.itemCount`	`toNumber`

Caching and freshness#

Fresh for about 2 minutes. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
Between 2 minutes and 15 minutes 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 1 hour more (marked stale).
A "not found" is remembered for 1 minute 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; 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 for the full list and retry guidance.

Status: stable (verified against the live source).