roboflow.com APIroboflow.com ↗
Search and retrieve metadata from 200,000+ open-source computer vision datasets on Roboflow Universe. Access class labels, image counts, and version info.
curl -X GET 'https://api.parse.bot/scraper/4d4cf0a1-b912-46f8-9ca4-54eb70b69488/search_datasets?page=1&query=dogs' \ -H 'X-API-Key: $PARSE_API_KEY'
Search for datasets on Roboflow Universe by keyword. Returns paginated results with up to 50 datasets per page.
| Param | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| page | integer | Page number for pagination. |
| query | string | Search keyword. Supports single words and multi-word phrases. |
{
"type": "object",
"fields": {
"page": "integer, current page number",
"datasets": "array of dataset summaries, each containing id, name, workspace, project_slug, image_count, classes, description_short, download_page_url, and dataset_url",
"has_more": "boolean, true if more pages are available"
},
"sample": {
"data": {
"page": 1,
"datasets": [
{
"id": "9dwoZR5okf3whTyeZQ8P",
"name": "car",
"classes": [
"Bus"
],
"workspace": {
"id": "BeESspb8ReMqIioHfzoW2sx14dJ2",
"url": "abtin-nyjmt",
"name": "abtin"
},
"dataset_url": "https://universe.roboflow.com/abtin-nyjmt/car-nxtji",
"image_count": 1000,
"project_slug": "car-nxtji",
"description_short": "car",
"download_page_url": "https://universe.roboflow.com/abtin-nyjmt/car-nxtji/dataset/1/download"
}
],
"has_more": true
},
"status": "success"
}
}About the roboflow.com API
This API provides access to Roboflow Universe's catalog of over 200,000 open-source computer vision datasets across 3 endpoints. Use search_datasets to query by keyword and get paginated results with image counts, class labels, and workspace slugs, or use get_dataset_details to pull the full metadata for any specific dataset — including class distribution, version history, and download links.
Search and Browse Datasets
The search_datasets endpoint accepts a query string (single words or multi-word phrases) and an optional page integer for pagination. Each result in the returned datasets array includes id, name, workspace, project_slug, image_count, classes, description_short, and download_page_url. The has_more boolean tells you whether additional pages exist. Results are capped at 50 datasets per page.
Bulk Retrieval with list_car_datasets
The list_car_datasets endpoint automates multi-page fetching for car-related datasets in a single call. Pass page_limit to control how many pages are retrieved (up to 50 datasets per page each). The response returns a flat datasets array with the same structure as search_datasets results, plus a total_fetched count — useful when you need a larger working set without manually looping through pages.
Dataset Detail Retrieval
The get_dataset_details endpoint requires a workspace slug and a project slug, both of which are returned by search_datasets under workspace.url and project_slug respectively. The response exposes the full description in markdown, classes as a keyed object with annotation counts per class, latest_version, image_count, dataset_url, and download_page_url. This is the endpoint to call when you need to evaluate whether a specific dataset fits your labeling requirements before downloading.
- Find labeled datasets for a specific object class by querying
search_datasetswith a keyword and filtering byclasses. - Compare annotation volume across similar datasets using
image_countand class annotation counts fromget_dataset_details. - Build a dataset discovery tool that surfaces
description_shortandimage_countfor CV practitioners browsing by domain. - Automate dataset auditing by retrieving
latest_versionandclassesdistributions for a set of project slugs. - Aggregate a list of car detection datasets with annotation counts using
list_car_datasetsbefore benchmarking models. - Generate download manifests by collecting
download_page_urlfields across multiple search result pages. - Identify active workspaces publishing datasets in a niche domain using the
workspacefield in search results.
| Tier | Price | Credits/month | Rate limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 100 | 5 req/min |
| Hobby | $30/mo | 1,000 | 20 req/min |
| Developer | $100/mo | 5,000 | 250 req/min |
One credit = one API call regardless of which marketplace API you call. Exceeding the rate limit returns a 429 response. Authenticate with the X-API-Key header.
Does Roboflow have an official developer API?+
What does get_dataset_details return beyond what search_datasets already provides?+
get_dataset_details returns the full markdown description, per-class annotation counts (as an object with class names as keys), latest_version, and a direct download_page_url. The search_datasets endpoint only provides description_short and a flat classes list, making get_dataset_details necessary when you need annotation distribution data or want to evaluate dataset quality before use.Is there a limit to how many datasets search_datasets returns per request?+
has_more boolean in the response indicates whether additional pages exist, and you increment the page parameter to fetch them. If you need larger batches without manual pagination, list_car_datasets accepts a page_limit parameter that fetches multiple pages in one call.Does the API expose dataset download files or model weights?+
download_page_url and dataset_url — that points to where files can be accessed, but does not serve dataset files or model artifacts directly. You can fork this API on Parse and revise it to add an endpoint that resolves download links or retrieves version-specific export formats.Can I search datasets by class label or filter by image count?+
search_datasets endpoint accepts a keyword query but does not expose class-label or image-count filters as dedicated parameters. You can retrieve a result set and filter on the client side using the classes and image_count fields returned in each dataset summary. For more targeted filtering, you can fork this API on Parse and revise it to add parameter-level filtering logic.