Microlink API

Microlink API

HTTP API behind microlink.io. Use the microlink skill for product methods. This skill covers endpoints, query parameters, embed URLs, and extract rule patterns.

Quick Start

import createClient from 'microlink.io'

const microlink = createClient()
const microlinkPro = createClient({ apiKey: process.env.MICROLINK_API_KEY })

const { title, description } = await microlink.metadata('https://example.com')

npm install microlink.io

• Free: https://api.microlink.io — 50 requests/day, no key
• Pro: https://pro.microlink.io — requires apiKey (x-api-key)

When To Use What

• Metadata → microlink.metadata(url)
• Screenshot → microlink.screenshot(url)
• PDF → microlink.pdf(url)
• Specific DOM values → microlink.extract(url, rules)
• Direct asset URL (no JSON) → embed query param
• JS-heavy pages → prerender: true or keep auto

Common Workflows

For copy-paste recipes, see common-workflows/README.md.

Parameters At A Glance

These are API query parameters. The product client routes well-known keys for you; everything else is forwarded as a top-level query param.

Core

• url (required): target URL with protocol
• meta (default true): metadata extraction
• data: custom scraping rules (extract)
• filter: comma-separated output fields
• embed: return one field directly as the response body

Asset generation

• screenshot / screenshot.*: create page image
• pdf / pdf.*: create PDF
• video, audio: detect playable sources

Browser behavior

• prerender: auto, true, or false
• waitUntil, waitForSelector, waitForTimeout, timeout
• device, viewport, javascript, animations, mediaType
• click, scroll, scripts, modules, styles

Caching and performance

• force: bypass cache
• ttl (Pro): cache lifetime
• staleTtl (Pro): stale-while-revalidate strategy

Pro-only

• headers, proxy, filename, ttl, staleTtl

Scraping Patterns

Pass rules to microlink.extract(url, rules):

Single value

const { avatar } = await microlink.extract('https://example.com', {
  avatar: { selector: '#avatar', attr: 'src', type: 'image' }
})

Collection

const { stories } = await microlink.extract('https://news.ycombinator.com', {
  stories: { selectorAll: '.titleline > a', attr: 'text' }
})

Fallback list

const { title } = await microlink.extract('https://example.com', {
  title: [
    { selector: 'meta[property="og:title"]', attr: 'content' },
    { selector: 'title', attr: 'text' },
    { selector: 'h1', attr: 'text' }
  ]
})

Nested object

const { stats } = await microlink.extract('https://example.com', {
  stats: {
    selector: '.profile',
    attr: {
      followers: { selector: '.followers', type: 'number' },
      stars: { selector: '.stars', type: 'number' }
    }
  }
})

Evaluate JS in browser context

const { version } = await microlink.extract('https://example.com', {
  version: { evaluate: 'window.next.version', type: 'string' }
})

Embed URLs

Return one field as the response body (useful in <img src>):

<img src="https://api.microlink.io/?url=https://example.com&screenshot=true&meta=false&embed=screenshot.url">

Useful paths: screenshot.url, pdf.url, image.url, logo.url, video.url.

Error Handling

import createClient, { MicrolinkError } from 'microlink.io'

const microlink = createClient()

try {
  await microlink.screenshot('https://example.com')
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof MicrolinkError) {
    // error.status, error.code, error.message, error.statusCode
  }
}

Common error codes: EAUTH, ERATE, EINVALURL, EBRWSRTIMEOUT, EPRO, ETIMEOUT.

Security And Reliability Rules

• Never expose x-api-key in client-side code.
• Use pro.microlink.io for authenticated requests (set apiKey on the client).
• For frontend usage, use a server proxy (microlinkhq/proxy or microlinkhq/edge-proxy).
• If a request is heavy and metadata is not needed, product methods already set meta: false.

CLI

npx microlink.io <url|product> [flags]
npx microlink.io login

See microlink for every product as a subcommand.

Deep Reference

For complete parameter-by-parameter docs, full error matrix, and response headers, see api-reference.md.