What you get#
Onekey exposes Open Library as 12 endpoints behind one API key: 7 endpoints return one record (data is an object) and 5 endpoints return a list (data is an array). Every answer uses the same envelope (success, data, metadata, error), the cost is reported in metadata.credits_charged, and fields are mapped onto the unified schema so the code you write for Open Library also works for the rest of the knowledge & reference category.
Endpoints#
| Endpoint | What it does | Parameters | Credits | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
author | Open Library author. | id* | 1 | stable |
author_search | Search Open Library authors. | q* | 5 | stable |
author_works | Works of an Open Library author. | id* | 5 | stable |
cover_metadata | Open Library cover image metadata (dimensions, source) by ISBN. | isbn* | 1 | stable |
edition | Open Library edition by OLID. | id* | 1 | stable |
isbn | Open Library edition by ISBN. | isbn* | 1 | stable |
search | Search Open Library books. | q* | 5 | stable |
subject | Works on an Open Library subject. | subject* | 5 | stable |
work | Open Library work (a book across all its editions). | id* | 1 | stable |
work_editions | Editions of an Open Library work. | id* | 5 | stable |
work_ratings | Reader rating summary of an Open Library work. | id* | 1 | stable |
work_shelves | Reader shelf counts (want to read, reading, read) of a work. | id* | 1 | stable |
A * marks a required parameter. Each endpoint name links to its reference page with the full parameter table, caching window and a recorded response.
Make a request#
This calls openlibrary.author (1 credit, stable). Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your key; sign up, no card. 1,000 free credits cover the open-platform endpoints. Hard-to-reach platforms (X, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and others marked on their page) need a verified email and a purchased pack.
curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/openlibrary/author?id=OL23919A" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Fields you get back#
These unified fields come back from Open Library, with the same names as on every other platform. The count is how many of its 12 mapped endpoints return the field; a field the source lacks is null, never missing. 17 platform-specific fields (ext.<name>) come on top, documented on each endpoint page.
| Field | Type | Endpoints |
|---|---|---|
entity.id | string | 8 |
entity.name | string | 7 |
paper.publisher | string | 3 |
author.birthDate | ISO 8601 date | 2 |
author.displayName | string | 2 |
author.id | string | 2 |
author.bio | string | 1 |
entity.description | string | 1 |
entity.stats.ratingCount | integer | 1 |
media.height | integer | 1 |
media.width | integer | 1 |
The full schema is in Unified schema.
Pricing#
Open Library calls cost 1 to 5 credits, flat per endpoint. Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB). Invalid, failed or not-found calls are not charged. See pricing for credit packs.