Zenodo API

Free Zenodo API with no key for reads: search millions of research datasets, papers, software and figures from CERN's open repository with DOIs. Tested.

No API key requiredCORS enabledHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 20 Aug 2026

What is the Zenodo API?

The Zenodo API is a free, key-free (for reading) API into CERN's open research repository, providing search and metadata for millions of datasets, publications, software releases, figures and presentations, each with a DOI.

Zenodo is run by CERN and funded by the EU, which gives it unusual longevity assurances for a research repository. It hosts anything researchers deposit — datasets, code, posters, theses — and mints a DOI for each.

It is also where GitHub releases go when researchers want a citable software DOI, so it is a good source for finding archived versions of research software alongside traditional publications.

Quick facts

Base URL: https://zenodo.org/api
Authentication: Reading public records needs no key. Depositing requires a personal access token.
Rate limit: 60 requests per minute for anonymous users; 100 per minute with a token.
Pricing: Free, publicly funded by CERN and the EU.
CORS: Enabled — callable directly from browser JavaScript
Official docs: Read the docs

How to use the Zenodo API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 20 Aug 2026, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. Search the research repository

GET https://zenodo.org/api/records?size=1

curl

curl 'https://zenodo.org/api/records?size=1'

JavaScript (fetch)

const res = await fetch("https://zenodo.org/api/records?size=1");
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://zenodo.org/api/records?size=1", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

Response — HTTP 200 (truncated)

{
  "hits": {
    "hits": [
      {
        "created": "2026-08-19T21:10:33.659835+00:00",
        "modified": "2026-08-19T21:10:33.925177+00:00",
        "id": 22018567,
        "conceptrecid": "22018566",
        "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.22018567",
        "conceptdoi": "10.5281/zenodo.22018566",
        "doi_url": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22018567",
        "metadata": {
          "title": "Trust-Aware Firm-Flexibility Aggregation in Active Distribution Networks: Code, Data, and Reproducibility Package",
          "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.22018567",
          "publication_date": "2026-08-19",
          "access_right": "open",
          "creators": [
            {
              "name": "Hinov, Nikolay",
              "affiliation": "Technical University of Sofia",
              "orcid": "0000-0002-0308-4858"
            }
          ],
          "keywords": [
            "active distribution networks; firm flexibility; industrial flexibility; cyber-physical systems; trust calibration; IEC 60870-5-104; reproducibility"
          ],
          "version": "1.7",
          "resource_type": {
            "title": "Software",
            "type": "software"
          },
          "license": {
            "id": "cc-by-4.0"
          },
          "relations": {
            "version": [
              {
                "index": 0,
                "is_last": true,
                "parent": {
                  "pid_type": "recid",
                  "pid_value": "22018566"
                }
              }
            ]
          }
        },
        "title": "Trust-Aware Firm-Flexibi

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`size`	integer	Optional	Results per page. `20`
`page`	integer	Optional	Page number. `2`
`q`	string	Optional	Elasticsearch-style query string. `climate model`
`type`	string	Optional	dataset, publication, software, image and others. `dataset`
`sort`	string	Optional	bestmatch, mostrecent or version. `mostrecent`

Response fields

hits.totalinteger: Total records matching the query.
hits.hits[].idinteger: Zenodo record id.
hits.hits[].doistring: DOI minted for the record.
hits.hits[].metadata.titlestring: Record title.
hits.hits[].metadata.creatorsarray: Authors with affiliations and ORCIDs.
hits.hits[].metadata.licenseobject: Licence under which the record is deposited.
hits.hits[].filesarray: Downloadable files with size and direct links.

What you can build with the Zenodo API

Search for open research datasets in a field
Find citable archived versions of research software
Build a research data discovery tool
Check licences before reusing deposited data

Common errors and how to fix them

429

Anonymous limit of 60 requests per minute exceeded.

Fix: Register a free personal access token to raise it, and cache results.

Empty files array

Some records are metadata-only or restricted.

Fix: Check the access_right field before assuming files are downloadable.

Query syntax errors

The q parameter uses Elasticsearch query syntax.

Fix: Quote phrases and escape special characters, or keep queries simple.

Zenodo API — frequently asked questions

Is the Zenodo API free?

Yes, reading public records requires no API key. Depositing content requires a free personal access token.

Who runs Zenodo?

CERN, with EU funding. That gives it stronger longevity guarantees than most research repositories.

Can I find research software there?

Yes. Zenodo integrates with GitHub so researchers can mint a DOI for a software release, making it a good source for citable archived code.

Is everything on Zenodo openly licensed?

No. Records carry individual licences and some are restricted or embargoed. Always check the licence and access_right fields before reuse.

Tools that pair with this API

JSON Formatter

Format, beautify and minify JSON online with 2-space, 4-space or tab indentation. Sort keys alphabetically and catch syntax errors instantly — free and private.

CSV to JSON Converter

Convert CSV to a JSON array of objects online. Header-row detection, comma/semicolon/tab delimiters and pretty-printed output — 100% in your browser.

Alternatives to Zenodo API

If Zenodo does not fit, these science & space apis cover similar ground. Every one was called before publishing, and each links to its own reference page with a working curl command and the response it returned.

API	What it does	Auth	CORS	Last verified
NASA APOD	Free NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day API. Daily space images with expert explanations, HD URLs and archive access back to 1995. Tested curl example.	Key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
Open Notify ISS	Free API returning the International Space Station's live latitude and longitude. No key, updates in real time. Tested curl example and live JSON response.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
USGS Earthquake	Free USGS earthquake API with no key: live global seismic events as GeoJSON, filterable by magnitude, time and location. Tested curl example and live response.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
Launch Library 2	Free rocket launch API with no key: upcoming and past launches from every space agency, with rockets, missions, pads and live stream links. Tested example.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
AlphaFold DB	Free AlphaFold Protein Structure Database API with no key. Fetch predicted 3D structures, per-residue confidence and PDB/mmCIF download links by UniProt accession. Tested example included.	No key	Yes	21 Aug 2026
Arcsecond.io	Free Arcsecond.io objects API with no key: resolve an astronomical object name to coordinates in four systems, plus aliases, spectral type and physical parameters.	No key	Yes	21 Aug 2026

All Science & Space APIs

Zenodo is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 20 Aug 2026; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.