Getting Started

Quick Start

Make your first API call to the Quote Gallery API in under 5 minutes.

Quick Start

Get up and running with the Quote Gallery API in minutes. This guide walks you through making your first API call.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  1. A Quote Gallery account
  2. An API key (see Authentication)

Step 1: Set Up Your API Key

Store your API key as an environment variable:

export QUOTE_GALLERY_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

Step 2: Make Your First Request

Let's fetch a list of quotes. You can use any HTTP client — here are examples in several languages.

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $QUOTE_GALLERY_API_KEY" \
  "https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/quotes?limit=3" | python3 -m json.tool

Example Response

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "abc123",
      "text": "The only way to do great work is to love what you do.",
      "language": "en",
      "categories": ["wisdom", "success"],
      "likeCount": 42,
      "author": {
        "id": "xyz789",
        "name": "Steve Jobs"
      },
      "createdAt": 1704067200000
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "total": 150,
    "limit": 3,
    "offset": 0,
    "hasMore": true
  }
}

Step 3: Get a Random Quote

One of the most popular endpoints — perfect for "quote of the day" features:

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $QUOTE_GALLERY_API_KEY" \
  "https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/quotes/random"

Step 4: Filter by Language and Category

Narrow down results using query parameters:

# Get inspirational quotes in English
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $QUOTE_GALLERY_API_KEY" \
  "https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/quotes?language=en&categories=inspirational&limit=5"

Step 5: Browse Authors

Explore the authors in the catalog:

# Search for authors by name
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $QUOTE_GALLERY_API_KEY" \
  "https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/authors?search=einstein&limit=5"

Step 6: Explore Playlists

Access curated collections of quotes:

# Get public playlists
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $QUOTE_GALLERY_API_KEY" \
  "https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/playlists?limit=5"

# Get a playlist with its quotes included
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $QUOTE_GALLERY_API_KEY" \
  "https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/playlists/playlist123?include_quotes=true"

Common Patterns

Pagination

All list endpoints support pagination with limit and offset:

async function getAllQuotes(apiKey) {
  const quotes = []
  let offset = 0
  const limit = 100

  while (true) {
    const response = await fetch(
      `https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/quotes?limit=${limit}&offset=${offset}`,
      { headers: { 'X-API-Key': apiKey } }
    )

    const { data, pagination } = await response.json()
    quotes.push(...data)

    if (!pagination.hasMore) break
    offset += limit
  }

  return quotes
}

Error Handling

Always check the response status and handle errors gracefully:

const response = await fetch('https://quotegallery.nl/api/v1/quotes', {
  headers: { 'X-API-Key': API_KEY },
})

if (!response.ok) {
  const error = await response.json()

  if (response.status === 429) {
    console.log('Rate limited — wait and retry')
  } else if (response.status === 401) {
    console.log('Check your API key')
  } else {
    console.log(`Error ${response.status}: ${error.message}`)
  }
}

What's Next?

API v1 Reference

Explore every endpoint with detailed parameters and response schemas.

Rate Limits

Understand rate limits and choose the right tier for your needs.

Error Handling

Learn about all error codes and best practices for handling them.
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