Pexels API

Name: Pexels API API
Brand: Pexels API
Availability: InStock

✓ Official Vendor SpecMediaStock MediaapiKey9 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Search free stock photos and videos, retrieve curated collections, and access high-resolution media URLs with photographer attribution through Pexels' content library.

Quickstart

Get started with Pexels API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"search free stock photos and videos"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with Pexels API API.

Search photos by query with filters for orientation (landscape, portrait, square), size, color, and locale

Search videos by query with orientation and size filters

Retrieve curated photos selected by the Pexels editorial team

Access popular videos with filters for minimum/maximum width, height, and duration

GET STARTED

Start building with Pexels API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Jentic publishes the only agent-ready OpenAPI specification for Pexels API, keeping it validated and integration-ready. Access free stock photos and videos from the full Pexels content library programmatically. Search photos and videos by query with filters for orientation, size, color, and locale. Retrieve curated and popular content collections, access individual media by ID with multiple resolution URLs, and browse featured collections. Simple API key authentication with paginated results up to 80 items per page. Includes photographer attribution and alt text for accessibility.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use Pexels API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ AI Agent Stock Photo Search

AI agents use the Pexels API through Jentic to search free stock photos by query, orientation, size, and color filters without managing API keys directly. The agent searches Jentic for 'find stock photos of nature', receives the /v1/search endpoint schema with filter parameters (query, orientation, size, color, per_page), and executes. Jentic handles API key injection so the agent never sees raw credentials. Results include photo URLs in 8 different sizes (original, large2x, large, medium, small, portrait, landscape, tiny) with photographer attribution.

Search for landscape-oriented photos of 'sunset' with an orange color palette, return the first 20 results with large resolution URLs and photographer attribution

Video Content Discovery

Search Pexels' free stock video library by query with filters for orientation and size. Access popular videos filtered by minimum/maximum dimensions and duration. Each video includes multiple quality options (HD, SD, UHD), frame rates, video file URLs, and thumbnail previews. Ideal for content management systems, marketing automation tools, and media platforms that need high-quality video assets with clear licensing.

Search for videos of 'cityscape' with landscape orientation, filter for videos between 10-30 seconds duration, and return HD quality download links with thumbnails

Curated and Popular Content

Access real-time curated photo collections selected by the Pexels editorial team and popular videos trending on the platform. Use this for homepage galleries, daily featured content, or inspiration feeds. Curated content is refreshed regularly, and popular videos are ranked by engagement. Both endpoints support pagination and return full media metadata including dimensions, photographer details, and attribution requirements.

Retrieve the first 40 curated photos from Pexels, then fetch 20 popular videos with minimum HD quality, and compile a daily featured content email

Collection Management

Browse featured collections on Pexels and retrieve all media within a collection filtered by type (photos or videos). Collections include metadata like title, description, media count, and photo/video counts. Use this to build thematic galleries, organize content by topic, or integrate Pexels collections into content management systems. The /v1/collections/{id} endpoint supports type filtering and pagination.

List all featured collections on Pexels, then retrieve all photos from the 'Nature' collection and display them in a responsive gallery with photographer credits

Key Endpoints

9 endpoints — jentic publishes the only agent-ready openapi specification for pexels api, keeping it validated and integration-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/v1/search

Search photos by query with filters for orientation, size, color, locale, and pagination

GET

/v1/curated

Retrieve curated photos selected by the Pexels editorial team with pagination

GET

/v1/photos/{id}

Get a specific photo by ID with all resolution URLs and photographer attribution

GET

/videos/search

Search videos by query with orientation, size, and locale filters

GET

/videos/popular

Retrieve popular videos with filters for minimum/maximum width, height, and duration

GET

/videos/videos/{id}

Get a specific video by ID with quality options (HD, SD, UHD) and video file URLs

GET

/v1/collections/featured

List all featured collections with media counts and descriptions

GET

/v1/collections/{id}

Retrieve all media within a collection filtered by type (photos or videos)

GET

/v1/search

Search photos by query with filters for orientation, size, color, locale, and pagination

GET

/v1/curated

Retrieve curated photos selected by the Pexels editorial team with pagination

GET

/v1/photos/{id}

Get a specific photo by ID with all resolution URLs and photographer attribution

GET

/videos/search

Search videos by query with orientation, size, and locale filters

GET

/videos/popular

Retrieve popular videos with filters for minimum/maximum width, height, and duration

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

Pexels API keys are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault (MAXsystem). Agents submit requests with Jentic injecting the API key into the Authorization header — raw keys never enter the agent's context.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'find stock photos of mountains' or 'search free videos') and Jentic returns the matching operation schema with filter parameters, so the agent builds the right query without parsing Pexels' documentation.

Time to first call

Direct Pexels integration: 2-4 hours for API key setup, query building, and result parsing. Through Jentic: under 1 hour — search, load schema, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

Unsplash API

Unsplash offers a similar free stock photo library while Pexels also includes video content

Use Unsplash for a larger contributor-driven photo collection; use Pexels when you need both photos and videos in a single API

Alternative

Pixabay API

Pixabay provides free stock images and videos similar to Pexels with a slightly different content selection

Use Pixabay or Pexels interchangeably for free stock media — both offer photos, videos, and illustrations under permissive licenses

Alternative

Shutterstock API

Shutterstock is a premium stock media service while Pexels offers free content

Use Shutterstock for enterprise-grade content with model releases and extended licensing; use Pexels for free high-quality photos and videos

FAQs

Specific to using Pexels API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Pexels API?

Pexels does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Pexels API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the Pexels API use?

Pexels uses API key authentication passed in the Authorization header. Through Jentic, API keys are stored encrypted in the MAXsystem vault and injected at execution time — agents never handle raw API keys.

Are Pexels photos and videos free to use?

Yes. All photos and videos on Pexels are free to use under the Pexels License, which allows personal and commercial use without attribution (though attribution is appreciated). The API returns photographer attribution information in the response, which you should display when using the content.

Can I filter photos by color with the Pexels API?

Yes. The /v1/search endpoint accepts a color parameter that can be a hex code (without #) or a color name. Use this to find photos matching a specific color palette or brand colors. For example, color=ff5733 returns photos with orange tones.

How do I search for stock photos through the Pexels API via Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'find stock photos' or 'pexels search images', then load the /v1/search operation schema. Specify the query parameter and optional filters like orientation, size, and color, and Jentic handles API key injection. Results include photo URLs in 8 different sizes and photographer attribution. Install with pip install jentic or sign up at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What video quality options are available from the Pexels API?

Videos are available in multiple qualities: HD (high definition), SD (standard definition), and UHD (ultra-high definition / 4K). Each video includes a video_files array with links for each quality level, along with dimensions, frame rate, and file type. You can filter popular videos by minimum width, height, and duration.