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Python Metadata API

Extract title, description, image and logo from any URL with one HTTP request in Python — no HTML parsing, no tag soup, no browser to maintain.
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Extract metadata in Python

No package and no parser — the Microlink REST API turns any URL into normalized metadata with a single HTTP GET. Here it is with urllib and json from the Python standard library.
Step 01 · Extract any URL
A few lines with the standard library — no pip install to run. Point it at a page and read the metadata from the JSON response.
extract.py
import json
import urllib.parse
import urllib.request

params = urllib.parse.urlencode({'url': 'https://microlink.io'})

with urllib.request.urlopen(f'https://api.microlink.io?{params}') as res:
    data = json.load(res)['data']

print(data['title'])        # 'Microlink | The web, ready for AI'
print(data['description'])  # 'A single API for turning any URL into data…'
print(data['image']['url']) # absolute, CDN-hosted
print(data['logo']['url'])  # absolute, CDN-hosted
Step 02 · Pick the fields you need
Title, description, publisher, author, date, lang, image and logo all come back in one call — build exactly the object your product needs.
fields.py
import json
import urllib.parse
import urllib.request

params = urllib.parse.urlencode({'url': 'https://microlink.io'})

with urllib.request.urlopen(f'https://api.microlink.io?{params}') as res:
    data = json.load(res)['data']

preview = {
    'title': data['title'],
    'description': data['description'],
    'publisher': data['publisher'],
    'author': data['author'],
    'date': data['date'],
    'lang': data['lang'],
    'image': (data.get('image') or {}).get('url'),
    'logo': (data.get('logo') or {}).get('url'),
}
Step 03 · Render JavaScript pages
Tags injected by client-side JavaScript only exist after the page renders — prerender with a real browser and wait for them, still one request.
spa.py
import json
import urllib.parse
import urllib.request

params = urllib.parse.urlencode({
    'url': 'https://app.example.com',
    'prerender': 'true',      # render JS in a real browser first
    'waitForSelector': 'h1',  # wait until the content exists
})

with urllib.request.urlopen(f'https://api.microlink.io?{params}') as res:
    data = json.load(res)['data']

print(data['title'])
Step 04 · Build a link preview
Image and logo come back as absolute, CDN-hosted URLs — drop them straight into an img tag and you have a link preview.
link_preview.py
import json
import urllib.parse
import urllib.request

params = urllib.parse.urlencode({'url': 'https://microlink.io'})

with urllib.request.urlopen(f'https://api.microlink.io?{params}') as res:
    data = json.load(res)['data']

image = (data.get('image') or data.get('logo') or {}).get('url', '')

html = f'''
  <a href="{data['url']}" class="card">
    <img src="{image}" alt="" />
    <strong>{data['title']}</strong>
    <p>{data['description']}</p>
  </a>'''

Drop it into your framework

A FastAPI route, a Flask endpoint, or an enrichment worker — the same request becomes your own metadata endpoint for link previews and CRM enrichment.
  • FastAPI
  • Flask
  • Enrichment
  • Plain Python
import json
import urllib.parse
import urllib.request

from flask import Flask, request, jsonify

app = Flask(__name__)

# GET /preview?url=https://microlink.io
@app.get('/preview')
def preview():
    params = urllib.parse.urlencode({'url': request.args['url']})

    with urllib.request.urlopen(f'https://api.microlink.io?{params}') as res:
        data = json.load(res)['data']

    return jsonify({
        'title': data['title'],
        'description': data['description'],
        'image': (data.get('image') or {}).get('url'),
    })

Skip the tag-parsing maintenance

Rolling your own means fetching HTML, parsing Open Graph and Twitter Cards with BeautifulSoup, merging JSON-LD and oEmbed, and adding Playwright for JavaScript-injected tags. The API gives you normalized metadata from any page without any of the moving parts.

DIY tag parsing

  • Fetch the HTML and parse og, twitter and meta tags yourself
  • Merge JSON-LD, oEmbed and microdata by hand — every site differs
  • Resolve relative image and logo URLs against redirects yourself
  • JavaScript-injected tags need a headless browser — a 300 MB binary
  • Each browser eats hundreds of MB of RAM per worker
  • You build the caching, retries and autoscaling

Microlink for Python

  • One HTTP request — urllib from the standard library, no pip install
  • Open Graph, Twitter Cards, JSON-LD and oEmbed merged for you
  • Image and logo as absolute, CDN-hosted URLs
  • JavaScript-injected tags captured with prerender=true
  • Cached responses from a global edge network
  • Autoscaled fleet with a 99.9% uptime SLA

Built for the way you write Python.

A REST API that feels native in Python — one call, JSON back, and at home in anything from a notebook to a worker fleet. Read the API overview to go deeper.

  • No HTML Parsing

    No tag soup, no regex, no DOM library to install. One HTTP GET returns a normalized JSON object.

  • Standard Library Only

    urllib and json ship with Python — the examples run with zero pip installs and nothing to vendor.

  • Every Source Merged

    Open Graph, Twitter Cards, JSON-LD, oEmbed, microdata and plain HTML tags are merged into a single normalized response.

  • CDN-Hosted Assets

    Image and logo come back as absolute URLs on a global CDN — hot-link them directly, no downloading or proxying.

  • JavaScript Rendering

    Tags injected by client-side JavaScript are captured too, with prerender=true and waitForSelector.

  • Link Preview Ready

    Title, description, image, logo and publisher are exactly the fields a link preview card needs — one call, one card.

  • Framework Friendly

    Drop it into FastAPI, Flask, or an enrichment worker as a route or a few-line function.

  • Zero Infrastructure

    Managed Headless Chrome, autoscaled and load-balanced. No browser pool, no servers, no patching to maintain.

  • Generous Free Tier

    Sign up for a free API key: 25 requests per day with every Pro feature, no credit card.

  • No HTML Parsing

    No tag soup, no regex, no DOM library to install. One HTTP GET returns a normalized JSON object.

  • Standard Library Only

    urllib and json ship with Python — the examples run with zero pip installs and nothing to vendor.

  • Every Source Merged

    Open Graph, Twitter Cards, JSON-LD, oEmbed, microdata and plain HTML tags are merged into a single normalized response.

  • CDN-Hosted Assets

    Image and logo come back as absolute URLs on a global CDN — hot-link them directly, no downloading or proxying.

  • JavaScript Rendering

    Tags injected by client-side JavaScript are captured too, with prerender=true and waitForSelector.

  • Link Preview Ready

    Title, description, image, logo and publisher are exactly the fields a link preview card needs — one call, one card.

  • Framework Friendly

    Drop it into FastAPI, Flask, or an enrichment worker as a route or a few-line function.

  • Zero Infrastructure

    Managed Headless Chrome, autoscaled and load-balanced. No browser pool, no servers, no patching to maintain.

  • Generous Free Tier

    Sign up for a free API key: 25 requests per day with every Pro feature, no credit card.

Try it live in the playground

Paste a URL and see the exact metadata response before you write a line of Python.
Sharing Debugger
Validate Open Graph, Twitter Cards, JSON-LD, microdata, and every other meta tag in one place. Preview how your URL renders on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Slack, and more, before you hit publish.

Python Metadata API FAQ

Everything Python developers ask before integrating the Microlink metadata API.

Which metadata sources are covered?

Open Graph, Twitter Cards, JSON-LD, oEmbed, microdata, RDFa and plain HTML tags — all merged and normalized into a single JSON response, so you never parse tag soup yourself.

Do I need to install a package?

No. The examples use urllib and json from the Python standard library. If you already use requests or httpx, the same call is one line shorter — see the FastAPI tab above.

What about tags rendered by JavaScript?

Pass prerender=true and the page is rendered in a real browser before extraction, so tags injected by React, Vue or any client-side framework are captured too. Combine it with waitForSelector to wait for specific content.

Are image and logo URLs ready to use?

Yes. They come back as absolute URLs hosted on a global CDN — resolve-relative-URL bugs included — so you can hot-link them directly in an img tag or store them as-is.

Is there a free tier or do I need an API key?

Yes, and it is free: sign up for an API key and you get 25 requests per day with every Pro feature, no credit card. Add it as x-api-key and start extracting.
When you need more volume, pick a paid plan: same key, bigger quota. See pricing for the limits.

How fresh is the metadata?

Responses are cached at the edge with a sane default TTL, and you control freshness per request — see the API overview for cache parameters.

Start extracting in Python

Sign up for a free API key: 25 requests per day with every Pro feature, no credit card. Send your first request and ship metadata in minutes.
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Read the API docs
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