Is there an API for OpenAlex?

OpenAlex does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 8 maintained endpoints for openalex.org. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.

How do I scrape OpenAlex data?

POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when openalex.org changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.

Do I need a OpenAlex account?

No. Every OpenAlex action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.

What does the OpenAlex API cost?

Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.

Research

OpenAlex API

openalex.org

OpenAlex - scholarly papers, authors, institutions, and citations.

Actions: 8
Category: Research
Login: Not required
Output: JSON

Get an API key Wire API reference

Call the OpenAlex API

Submit a task, then poll the job until it settles. This example runs oa_author_details.

curl -X POST https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ANAKIN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "action_id": "oa_author_details",
    "params": {
      "author_id": "A5023888391"
    }
  }'

8 actions on openalex.org

Read

Author Details
oa_author_detailsread1 credit / call
Returns full details for a single academic author.
author_id
string · required
Author Search
oa_search_authorsread1 credit / call
Returns academic authors matching a name and filters.
search
string
filter
string
sort
string
per_page
integer
page
integer
Institution Search
oa_search_institutionsread1 credit / call
Returns academic institutions matching a name and filters.
search
string
filter
string
per_page
integer
page
integer
Publication Year Stats
act_openalex_works_publication_year_facetsread1 credit / call
Returns paper counts grouped by publication year.
group_by
string · required
Work Details
oa_work_detailsread1 credit / call
Returns full details for a single academic paper.
work_id
string · required
Work Details
act_openalex_work_detailread1 credit / call
Returns full details for an academic paper including authors, institutions, and open access status.
work_id
string · required
Works Listing
act_openalex_works_listingread2 credits / call
Returns academic papers with title, year, type, and open access status.
sort
string · required
page
integer
Works Search
oa_search_worksread1 credit / call
Returns academic papers matching a full-text search and filters.
search
string
filter
string
sort
string
per_page
integer
page
integer

OpenAlex API questions

Is there an API for OpenAlex?: OpenAlex does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 8 maintained endpoints for openalex.org. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.
How do I scrape OpenAlex data?: POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when openalex.org changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.
Do I need a OpenAlex account?: No. Every OpenAlex action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.
What does the OpenAlex API cost?: Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.