Simple Icons CDN API

Fetch any brand's official SVG logo by slug, already coloured, with one GET request. No key, no npm install, permissive CORS. Verified example and sizing notes.

No API key requiredCORS enabledHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 2026-08-21

What is the Simple Icons CDN API?

The Simple Icons CDN serves brand logos as SVG from a URL. `GET https://cdn.simpleicons.org/{slug}` returns the icon with the brand's official colour applied, and optional path segments override the colour for light and dark themes. No API key is required.

Simple Icons is the icon set behind a large share of the web's 'technologies I use' sections, and the CDN removes the build step entirely. Instead of installing a package and importing an icon component, you point an `img` tag at a slug. The default response is already filled with the brand's official hex colour, which is the fiddly part when you extract icons from a package yourself.

The returned SVG has a `viewBox` of `0 0 24 24` and deliberately carries no `width` or `height`, so it inherits its size from CSS or from the attributes on your `img` element. Set a size or it will render at whatever default the surrounding context imposes. Each file includes a `<title>` element with the brand name, which is good for accessibility, and the response carries a permissive CORS header so it can be fetched and inlined by front-end code.

Quick facts

Base URL: https://cdn.simpleicons.org
Authentication: No key or account. Icons are brand trademarks, so usage must respect each brand's own guidelines.
Rate limit: Not published. It is a CDN-fronted static asset service, so ordinary use is not a concern.
Pricing: Free. The icon data is CC0; the trademarks themselves are not.
CORS: Enabled — callable directly from browser JavaScript
Official docs: Read the docs

How to use the Simple Icons CDN API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-21, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. Fetch a brand logo as SVG

GET https://cdn.simpleicons.org/github

curl

curl 'https://cdn.simpleicons.org/github'

JavaScript (fetch)

const res = await fetch("https://cdn.simpleicons.org/github");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Python (requests)

import requests

res = requests.get("https://cdn.simpleicons.org/github", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

Response — HTTP 200

<svg fill="#181717" role="img" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title>GitHub</title><path d="M12 .297c-6.63 0-12 5.373-12 12 0 5.303 3.438 9.8 8.205 11.385.6.113.82-.258.82-.577 0-.285-.01-1.04-.015-2.04-3.338.724-4.042-1.61-4.042-1.61C4.422 18.07 3.633 17.7 3.633 17.7c-1.087-.744.084-.729.084-.729 1.205.084 1.838 1.236 1.838 1.236 1.07 1.835 2.809 1.305 3.495.998.108-.776.4

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`{slug}`	path	Required	The brand slug, lowercase with punctuation and spaces removed, e.g. `github`, `nodedotjs`, `visualstudiocode`. `github`
`{color}`	path	Optional	Override the fill: a hex value without the hash, a CSS colour name, or `_` to keep the brand default. `ff0000`
`{darkColor}`	path	Optional	Second colour used when the viewer prefers a dark theme. `ffffff`
`viewbox`	string	Optional	Set to `auto` to tighten the viewBox around the glyph instead of the standard 24x24 square. `auto`

Response fields

(body)image/svg+xml: The SVG document itself. There is no JSON envelope, so it can be used directly as an `img` source or inlined into markup.
fillattribute: Set on the root `svg` element to the brand's official hex colour, or to whatever you passed in the colour path segment.
viewBoxattribute: Always `0 0 24 24` unless you pass `viewbox=auto`. There is no `width` or `height`, so size it with CSS.
titleelement: The brand name as a `<title>` child, which screen readers announce. Keep it when inlining rather than stripping it as noise.
roleattribute: Set to `img` for accessibility, so the SVG is announced as an image rather than as a group of shapes.

What you can build with the Simple Icons CDN API

Build a tech stack or integrations section without bundling an icon package
Add brand logos to a README or documentation page
Show provider logos on a login screen or status dashboard
Render theme-aware icons by supplying a light and a dark colour in the path
Prototype a UI with real brand marks before deciding on an icon strategy

Common errors and how to fix them

404

The slug is wrong. Slugs strip punctuation and expand symbols in ways that are hard to guess.

Fix: Node.js is `nodedotjs`, VS Code is `visualstudiocode`. Search simpleicons.org for the exact slug rather than guessing.

Icon renders enormous or invisible

The SVG has no intrinsic width or height.

Fix: Set explicit dimensions on the `img` element or via CSS; the 24x24 viewBox alone does not size it.

Wrong colour on dark backgrounds

The default fill is the brand colour, which can be near-black.

Fix: Pass a colour path segment, or supply both a light and a dark colour so the CDN can respond to the viewer's theme.

Simple Icons CDN API — frequently asked questions

Do I need an API key for the Simple Icons CDN?

No. It is a free, key-free static asset service fronted by a CDN, with permissive CORS headers.

How do I change the icon colour?

Add a colour as a path segment, for example `/github/ff0000`. Add a second segment to supply a dark-theme colour, and use `_` in the first position to keep the brand default.

Can I use brand logos freely?

The icon data is CC0, but the logos are trademarks. You still need to follow each brand's usage guidelines, particularly around implying endorsement or altering a mark.

Why is the icon not showing at the size I set?

The SVG deliberately omits width and height so it inherits from its container. Set dimensions on the `img` element or in CSS.

Tools that pair with this API

SVG Minifier

Minify SVG files in your browser: strip comments, metadata and editor junk, round coordinates, collapse whitespace — with a live preview and size savings.

SVG to PNG Converter

Convert SVG vector files to PNG at any resolution you choose. Render crisp raster images from SVG in your browser — free, instant and private.

Favicon Generator

Generate a complete favicon pack from one image: multi-size favicon.ico, 16–512 px PNGs, apple-touch-icon and ready-to-paste HTML link tags.

SVG Sprite Generator

Combine several SVG icons into one sprite file of symbols, with internal ids namespaced automatically and a ready-to-paste use snippet for each icon.

Color Picker

Pick any color and get its HEX, RGB and HSL values instantly. Free online color picker with shades, tints and one-click copy for designers and developers.

Simple Icons CDN is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 2026-08-21; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.