Extending results

The default metadata fields cover common preview use cases, but sometimes you need more context than title, description, image, and logo can provide.

Choose the right enrichment

Need	Use	Result
Site-specific fields beyond the normalized metadata set	`data`	Add your own extracted fields alongside the metadata
Ready-to-render embed HTML for supported providers	`iframe`	Get `html` and `scripts` from oEmbed-compatible URLs
Dominant brand or preview colors from detected images	`palette`	Add color and palette fields to image-like metadata
Stack or performance analysis alongside metadata	`insights`	Add technology detection or Lighthouse output

Add custom fields with data

Use data when you want metadata plus something site-specific:

The following examples show how to use the Microlink API with CLI, cURL, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP & Golang, targeting 'https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview' URL with 'data' API parameter:

CLI Microlink API example

microlink https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview&data.headings.selectorAll='main h2'&data.headings.attr=text

cURL Microlink API example

curl -G "https://api.microlink.io" \
  -d "url=https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview" \
  -d "data.headings.selectorAll=main%20h2" \
  -d "data.headings.attr=text"

JavaScript Microlink API example

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview', {
  data: {
    headings: {
      selectorAll: "main h2",
      attr: "text"
    }
  }
})

Python Microlink API example

import requests

url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

querystring = {
    "url": "https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview",
    "data.headings.selectorAll": "main h2",
    "data.headings.attr": "text"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=querystring)

print(response.json())

Ruby Microlink API example

require 'uri'
require 'net/http'

base_url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

params = {
  url: "https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview",
  data.headings.selectorAll: "main h2",
  data.headings.attr: "text"
}

uri = URI(base_url)
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form(params)

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
response = http.request(request)

puts response.body

PHP Microlink API example

<?php

$baseUrl = "https://api.microlink.io/";

$params = [
    "url" => "https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview",
    "data.headings.selectorAll" => "main h2",
    "data.headings.attr" => "text"
];

$query = http_build_query($params);
$url = $baseUrl . '?' . $query;

$curl = curl_init();

curl_setopt_array($curl, [
    CURLOPT_URL => $url,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_ENCODING => "",
    CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
    CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
    CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => "GET"
]);

$response = curl_exec($curl);
$err = curl_error($curl);

curl_close($curl);

if ($err) {
    echo "cURL Error #: " . $err;
} else {
    echo $response;
}

Golang Microlink API example

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "net/http"
    "net/url"
    "io"
)

func main() {
    baseURL := "https://api.microlink.io"

    u, err := url.Parse(baseURL)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    q := u.Query()
    q.Set("url", "https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview")
    q.Set("data.headings.selectorAll", "main h2")
    q.Set("data.headings.attr", "text")
    u.RawQuery = q.Encode()

    req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", u.String(), nil)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    client := &http.Client{}
    resp, err := client.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    fmt.Println(string(body))
}

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://microlink.io/docs/api/getting-started/overview', {
  data: {
    headings: {
      selectorAll: "main h2",
      attr: "text"
    }
  }
})

The standard metadata still comes back, but now you also get a custom headings field tailored to your application.

This is the right tool when the normalized metadata gets you close, but you still need one or two page-specific fields.

Get ready-to-use embed HTML

For supported providers, iframe adds a ready-to-render embed payload:

The following examples show how to use the Microlink API with CLI, cURL, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP & Golang, targeting 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw' URL with 'iframe' API parameter:

CLI Microlink API example

microlink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw&iframe

cURL Microlink API example

curl -G "https://api.microlink.io" \
  -d "url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw" \
  -d "iframe=true"

JavaScript Microlink API example

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw', {
  iframe: true
})

Python Microlink API example

import requests

url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

querystring = {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw",
    "iframe": "true"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=querystring)

print(response.json())

Ruby Microlink API example

require 'uri'
require 'net/http'

base_url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

params = {
  url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw",
  iframe: "true"
}

uri = URI(base_url)
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form(params)

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
response = http.request(request)

puts response.body

PHP Microlink API example

<?php

$baseUrl = "https://api.microlink.io/";

$params = [
    "url" => "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw",
    "iframe" => "true"
];

$query = http_build_query($params);
$url = $baseUrl . '?' . $query;

$curl = curl_init();

curl_setopt_array($curl, [
    CURLOPT_URL => $url,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_ENCODING => "",
    CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
    CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
    CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => "GET"
]);

$response = curl_exec($curl);
$err = curl_error($curl);

curl_close($curl);

if ($err) {
    echo "cURL Error #: " . $err;
} else {
    echo $response;
}

Golang Microlink API example

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "net/http"
    "net/url"
    "io"
)

func main() {
    baseURL := "https://api.microlink.io"

    u, err := url.Parse(baseURL)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    q := u.Query()
    q.Set("url", "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw")
    q.Set("iframe", "true")
    u.RawQuery = q.Encode()

    req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", u.String(), nil)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    client := &http.Client{}
    resp, err := client.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    fmt.Println(string(body))
}

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6rdqiybaw', {
  iframe: true
})

Use iframe when you want metadata plus embeddable HTML for supported video, audio, and social providers.

The response adds an iframe field with:

html
scripts

See the iframe reference for the supported provider model and optional consumer settings such as maxWidth.

Add color palettes to image metadata

If you need brand colors or accessible overlay colors, enable palette:

The following examples show how to use the Microlink API with CLI, cURL, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP & Golang, targeting 'https://github.com/microlinkhq' URL with 'palette' API parameter:

CLI Microlink API example

microlink https://github.com/microlinkhq&palette

cURL Microlink API example

curl -G "https://api.microlink.io" \
  -d "url=https://github.com/microlinkhq" \
  -d "palette=true"

JavaScript Microlink API example

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://github.com/microlinkhq', {
  palette: true
})

Python Microlink API example

import requests

url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

querystring = {
    "url": "https://github.com/microlinkhq",
    "palette": "true"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=querystring)

print(response.json())

Ruby Microlink API example

require 'uri'
require 'net/http'

base_url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

params = {
  url: "https://github.com/microlinkhq",
  palette: "true"
}

uri = URI(base_url)
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form(params)

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
response = http.request(request)

puts response.body

PHP Microlink API example

<?php

$baseUrl = "https://api.microlink.io/";

$params = [
    "url" => "https://github.com/microlinkhq",
    "palette" => "true"
];

$query = http_build_query($params);
$url = $baseUrl . '?' . $query;

$curl = curl_init();

curl_setopt_array($curl, [
    CURLOPT_URL => $url,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_ENCODING => "",
    CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
    CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
    CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => "GET"
]);

$response = curl_exec($curl);
$err = curl_error($curl);

curl_close($curl);

if ($err) {
    echo "cURL Error #: " . $err;
} else {
    echo $response;
}

Golang Microlink API example

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "net/http"
    "net/url"
    "io"
)

func main() {
    baseURL := "https://api.microlink.io"

    u, err := url.Parse(baseURL)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    q := u.Query()
    q.Set("url", "https://github.com/microlinkhq")
    q.Set("palette", "true")
    u.RawQuery = q.Encode()

    req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", u.String(), nil)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    client := &http.Client{}
    resp, err := client.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    fmt.Println(string(body))
}

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://github.com/microlinkhq', {
  palette: true
})

Palette data is attached to detected image fields such as image or logo.

This is especially useful for:

generating UI themes from preview images
choosing overlay text colors
grouping links or cards by visual identity

See the palette reference for the exact color fields added.

Add site analysis with insights

If you want analysis rather than just metadata, use insights:

The following examples show how to use the Microlink API with CLI, cURL, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP & Golang, targeting 'https://vercel.com' URL with 'insights' API parameter:

CLI Microlink API example

microlink https://vercel.com&insights.technologies

cURL Microlink API example

curl -G "https://api.microlink.io" \
  -d "url=https://vercel.com" \
  -d "insights.technologies=true" \
  -d "insights.lighthouse=false"

JavaScript Microlink API example

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://vercel.com', {
  insights: {
    technologies: true,
    lighthouse: false
  }
})

Python Microlink API example

import requests

url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

querystring = {
    "url": "https://vercel.com",
    "insights.technologies": "true",
    "insights.lighthouse": "false"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=querystring)

print(response.json())

Ruby Microlink API example

require 'uri'
require 'net/http'

base_url = "https://api.microlink.io/"

params = {
  url: "https://vercel.com",
  insights.technologies: "true",
  insights.lighthouse: "false"
}

uri = URI(base_url)
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form(params)

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
response = http.request(request)

puts response.body

PHP Microlink API example

<?php

$baseUrl = "https://api.microlink.io/";

$params = [
    "url" => "https://vercel.com",
    "insights.technologies" => "true",
    "insights.lighthouse" => "false"
];

$query = http_build_query($params);
$url = $baseUrl . '?' . $query;

$curl = curl_init();

curl_setopt_array($curl, [
    CURLOPT_URL => $url,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_ENCODING => "",
    CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
    CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
    CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => "GET"
]);

$response = curl_exec($curl);
$err = curl_error($curl);

curl_close($curl);

if ($err) {
    echo "cURL Error #: " . $err;
} else {
    echo $response;
}

Golang Microlink API example

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "net/http"
    "net/url"
    "io"
)

func main() {
    baseURL := "https://api.microlink.io"

    u, err := url.Parse(baseURL)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    q := u.Query()
    q.Set("url", "https://vercel.com")
    q.Set("insights.technologies", "true")
    q.Set("insights.lighthouse", "false")
    u.RawQuery = q.Encode()

    req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", u.String(), nil)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    client := &http.Client{}
    resp, err := client.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    fmt.Println(string(body))
}

import mql from '@microlink/mql'

const { data } = await mql('https://vercel.com', {
  insights: {
    technologies: true,
    lighthouse: false
  }
})

Use insights when the workflow needs stack detection or a Lighthouse audit in addition to the standard metadata fields.

This adds an insights field with:

technologies
lighthouse

If you need both, enable both. If you only want one, disable the other to keep the response lighter. See the insights reference for the details.

Next step

Learn how to keep or reshape the final response in delivery and response shaping.