Flickr

Overview

The Flickr API searches and manages photos — public photo search works with an API key, while user data needs OAuth. It’s one of the oldest photo APIs on the web.

Note (verified 2026-08): invalid keys return HTTP 200 with jsonFlickrApi({"stat":"fail","code":100,...}) (JSONP wrapper + business error) — not a 4xx. Check stat in the response.

Quick Start

Photo search (replace YOUR_KEY):

curl "https://www.flickr.com/services/rest/?method=flickr.photos.search&api_key=YOUR_KEY&text=cat&format=json&nojsoncallback=1"

{
  "stat": "ok",
  "photos": { "total": 12345, "photo": [ { "id": "123", "secret": "abc", "server": "66", "farm": 66, "title": "A cat" } ] }
}

Photo URL pattern:

https://farm{farm}.staticflickr.com/{server}/{id}_{secret}.jpg

Authentication

• API key: register at flickr.com → create an app → key (for public reads).
• OAuth 1.0a for user-scoped access (upload, private photos).
• Send api_key as a query parameter; check stat: "ok" in the response (errors come back as HTTP 200, verified).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free API key: ~3,600 requests/hour (check docs); OAuth adds user tokens.
• The REST endpoint is https://www.flickr.com/services/rest/?method=....
• Use format=json&nojsoncallback=1 for clean JSON (the default JSONP wrapper is jsonFlickrApi(...)).

FAQ

Is Flickr API free? Yes — free API key with hourly limits.

Why 200 with stat fail? Flickr returns errors inside a JSONP envelope with HTTP 200 (verified) — check stat.

How do I build photo URLs? https://farm{farm}.staticflickr.com/{server}/{id}_{secret}.jpg.