Trakt

Overview

Trakt tracks what you watch across movies and TV — watchlists, history, ratings, comments, and recommendations. Its API requires a Client ID (and OAuth for user data) — requests without a client id return 403 (verified). A standard backend for media-tracking apps and “continue watching” features.

Quick Start

A Trakt API key (Client ID) is required — create one at trakt.tv/oauth/applications:

# Popular shows:
curl "https://api.trakt.tv/shows/popular" \
  -H "trakt-api-version: 2" \
  -H "trakt-api-key: YOUR_CLIENT_ID"

Trending movies:

curl "https://api.trakt.tv/movies/trending" \
  -H "trakt-api-version: 2" \
  -H "trakt-api-key: YOUR_CLIENT_ID"

Search:

curl "https://api.trakt.tv/search/show?query=breaking+bad" \
  -H "trakt-api-version: 2" \
  -H "trakt-api-key: YOUR_CLIENT_ID"

Authentication

• Create an app at trakt.tv/oauth/applications → copy the Client ID.
• Send it as the trakt-api-key header, with trakt-api-version: 2.
• OAuth (user token) unlocks user-scoped data (watchlist, history, ratings) — the listing’s OAuth flag refers to this.
• No client ID → 403 (verified).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Rate limits: roughly 1,000 calls per 5 minutes per app — generous for most projects.
• The trakt-api-key header is mandatory; without it you get HTTP 403.
• All timestamps are ISO-8601; responses are JSON.
• Extended data via ?extended=full (images, descriptions).

FAQ

Is Trakt API free? Yes — the API is free with rate limits.

Do I need a client id? Yes — the trakt-api-key header is required (403 without it, verified).

What can I build with it? Watchlists, “continue watching” sync, ratings, and media recommendations.