Pexels Getting Started: API Key & First Request (2026)

Getting started overview

Integrating with the Pexels API involves a straightforward process to access its extensive library of free stock photos and videos. This guide outlines the necessary steps, from account creation and API key acquisition to executing your initial API call. Pexels provides its content and API access without charge, making it a resource for developers seeking visual assets for various applications Pexels API documentation. The API utilizes a RESTful architecture, making it accessible via standard HTTP requests, and authentication is managed through a unique API key.

Before making any requests, developers need to obtain an API key. This key acts as a credential, verifying the identity of the application making the request. Once obtained, the key is included in the Authorization header of each API call. The Pexels API supports various endpoints for searching photos, videos, and retrieving curated collections, providing flexibility for different use cases Pexels API endpoints.

The following table summarizes the key steps to get started:

Create an account and get keys

To begin using the Pexels API, you must first create a free user account on the Pexels website. This account provides access to the developer dashboard where you can generate and manage your API keys. Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Pexels API Documentation: Visit the official Pexels API documentation page.
2. Sign Up/Log In: Click on the "Get Started" or "Sign Up" button. If you already have a Pexels account, you can log in directly. If not, complete the registration process, which typically involves providing an email address and creating a password.
3. Access Your API Key: Once logged in and on the API documentation page, your unique API key should be visible. If not immediately apparent, navigate to a section often labeled "Your API Key" or "Dashboard." The key is a long alphanumeric string that you will use to authenticate your API requests Pexels API key retrieval.
4. Store Your API Key Securely: Your API key grants access to Pexels's resources and should be treated like a password. Avoid hardcoding it directly into your application code. Instead, use environment variables, a configuration file, or a secure secrets management service. For example, in a server-side application, you might store it in an environment variable, as described in general security practices for API keys Google Cloud API key best practices.

Pexels enforces rate limits on API requests to ensure fair usage of its services. Currently, the limits are 200 requests per hour and 20,000 requests per month. These limits are typically sufficient for most development and small-scale production applications Pexels API rate limits.

Your first request

With your API key in hand, you can now make your first authenticated request to the Pexels API. This example demonstrates how to fetch a list of curated photos using a simple HTTP GET request. We will use the /v1/curated endpoint, which provides a selection of popular photos chosen by Pexels.

Request Structure

All Pexels API requests are made to the base URL https://api.pexels.com. Your API key must be included in the Authorization header of every request, prefixed with Bearer.

Endpoint: GET https://api.pexels.com/v1/curated

Headers:

• Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY

Example using curl (replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual key):

curl -H "Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY" \ 
     "https://api.pexels.com/v1/curated?per_page=1"

Example using JavaScript (Node.js with node-fetch):

const fetch = require('node-fetch');

const API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'; // Replace with your actual API key

async function getCuratedPhotos() {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://api.pexels.com/v1/curated?per_page=1', {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': API_KEY
      }
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
    }

    const data = await response.json();
    console.log('First curated photo:', data.photos[0]);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching curated photos:', error);
  }
}

getCuratedPhotos();

Example using Python (with requests library):

import requests

API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY' # Replace with your actual API key

def get_curated_photos():
    headers = {
        'Authorization': API_KEY
    }
    params = {
        'per_page': 1
    }
    try:
        response = requests.get('https://api.pexels.com/v1/curated', headers=headers, params=params)
        response.raise_for_status() # Raise an HTTPError for bad responses (4xx or 5xx)
        data = response.json()
        print("First curated photo:", data['photos'][0])
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"Error fetching curated photos: {e}")

get_curated_photos()

Upon successful execution, the API will return a JSON object containing an array of photo objects. Each photo object includes details such as its ID, width, height, URL, photographer information, and various image source URLs (e.g., original, large, medium, small) Pexels photo object structure.

Common next steps

After successfully making your first API call, consider these common next steps to further integrate Pexels into your application:

1. Search for Photos: Utilize the /v1/search endpoint to find specific photos based on keywords. This endpoint allows for more targeted content retrieval, enabling dynamic content generation in your application Pexels photo search documentation.
2. Fetch Videos: Explore the video API endpoints, such as /videos/search and /videos/popular, to integrate free stock videos. The process is similar to fetching photos, requiring your API key for authentication Pexels video API documentation.
3. Implement Pagination: For endpoints that return multiple results, such as search and curated lists, implement pagination using the page and per_page parameters. This helps manage the volume of data returned and improves application performance Pexels API pagination guide.
4. Handle Rate Limits: Monitor the X-Ratelimit-Limit, X-Ratelimit-Remaining, and X-Ratelimit-Reset headers in API responses. Implement retry logic or backoff strategies to gracefully handle rate limit exhaustion, preventing service disruptions MDN Retry-After header documentation.
5. Explore SDKs: Pexels offers official and community-maintained SDKs for various programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, PHP, and Ruby. These SDKs can simplify API interaction by abstracting HTTP requests and JSON parsing, allowing developers to focus on application logic Pexels SDKs and code examples.
6. Displaying Content: When displaying Pexels content, ensure proper attribution to the photographer and Pexels, as specified in their terms of service. This often involves linking back to the original photo on Pexels and crediting the photographer Pexels attribution requirements.

Troubleshooting the first call

Encountering issues during your first API call is common. Here are some common problems and their solutions:

• 401 Unauthorized Error:

  • Cause: This error typically means your API key is missing, incorrect, or improperly formatted.
  • Solution: Double-check that your API key is exactly as provided on your Pexels dashboard. Ensure it's included in the Authorization header with the Bearer prefix (e.g., Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY). Make sure there are no leading or trailing spaces in the key.

• 403 Forbidden Error:

  • Cause: Your API key might be revoked, or you've exceeded your rate limits.
  • Solution: Check your Pexels API dashboard to ensure your key is active. If you've made many requests recently, you might have hit the rate limit. Wait for the reset period (indicated by X-Ratelimit-Reset header) before trying again.

• 400 Bad Request Error:

  • Cause: This usually indicates an issue with your request parameters, such as an invalid endpoint or missing required query parameters.
  • Solution: Review the Pexels API documentation for the specific endpoint you are calling. Verify that all required parameters are present and correctly formatted. For example, the per_page parameter expects an integer.

• Network Errors (e.g., "Failed to fetch"):

  • Cause: These errors often stem from connectivity problems, DNS issues, or firewall restrictions.
  • Solution: Verify your internet connection. If running in a restricted environment, check firewall settings to ensure outgoing requests to api.pexels.com are allowed.

• Incorrect JSON Parsing:

  • Cause: The API returns JSON, but your application might be failing to parse it correctly, or expecting a different structure.
  • Solution: Use a JSON linter or formatter on the raw API response to ensure it's valid JSON. Compare the response structure to the Pexels API documentation to confirm your parsing logic matches the expected output.