canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/platerecognizer.com/platerecognizer

# Plate Recognizer API

Automatic license plate recognition API. Read number plates from images and get vehicle information. The API exposes 2 endpoints secured with apiKey authentication.

## For AI agents

Programmatically read number plates from an image, get API usage statistics. Covers 2 operations with apiKey authentication.

## Scope

Does not handle payments, communications, or crm - use for media and content only.

## Capabilities

- Read number plates from an image
- Get API usage statistics
- Access Plate Recognizer API resources via REST API

## Use cases

### Media and Content Operations

Use the Plate Recognizer API to perform media operations programmatically. The API provides 2 endpoints covering core functionality including read number plates from an image, get API usage statistics.

Example prompt: Call POST /plate-reader to read number plates from an image

### Data Retrieval and Monitoring

Query Plate Recognizer API endpoints to retrieve structured data for monitoring, reporting, or downstream processing. The API returns JSON responses that agents can parse directly, enabling automated data collection workflows without manual intervention.

Example prompt: Query the Plate Recognizer API API to retrieve current data and verify the response contains expected fields

### AI Agent Integration via Jentic

AI agents discover and call Plate Recognizer API endpoints through Jentic without managing credentials directly. An agent searches for the required operation by intent, receives the matching endpoint schema, and executes the call with Jentic-managed authentication. This eliminates the need to read API documentation or handle apiKey tokens manually.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'read number plates from an image', load the operation schema, and execute with Jentic-managed credentials

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | `/plate-reader` | Read number plates from an image |
| GET | `/statistics` | Get API usage statistics |

## Key resources

- **Recognition** — Operations related to Recognition
- **Statistics** — Operations related to Statistics

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the Plate Recognizer API by hand means learning its Authorization token header auth and building the image-upload request plumbing for its plate-reader call yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import Plate Recognizer from the API Directory, store the token once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** Plate Recognizer exposes only a plate-reader call that takes the image in the request body and a statistics read, so scoping is operations-only: limit the agent to the operations it needs, such as reading plates from an image or fetching usage statistics. You choose which of those operations it may call.
- **Credential handling:** Your Plate Recognizer token is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'read number plates from an image' or 'get usage statistics', and Jentic returns the matching Plate Recognizer operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Cloudinary** — Alternative media API
- **Mux** — Alternative media API

## FAQ

### What authentication does the Plate Recognizer API use?

The Plate Recognizer API uses an API key passed in the `Authorization` header. Through Jentic, these credentials are stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance and injected at execution time, so raw secrets never enter the agent context.

### Can I read number plates from an image with the Plate Recognizer API?

Yes. Use the POST /plate-reader endpoint. The API returns structured JSON responses that agents can parse and act on directly.

### What are the rate limits for the Plate Recognizer API?

Rate limits are not specified in the OpenAPI spec. Check the vendor documentation for current limits. Through Jentic, rate limiting is handled automatically with retry logic built into the execution layer.

### How do I read number plates from an image through Jentic?

Install the Jentic SDK with pip install jentic, authenticate through Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer, then search for 'read number plates from an image'. Jentic returns the matching Plate Recognizer API operation with its input schema. Load the schema and execute the call - credentials are injected automatically.

### How many endpoints does the Plate Recognizer API have?

The Plate Recognizer API exposes 2 endpoints covering recognition, statistics operations.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Plate Recognizer API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which of the Plate Recognizer API's operations the agent may call, and scoping here is operations-only. The API exposes just two operations: reading number plates from an image via POST /plate-reader and fetching usage statistics via GET /statistics, so you can allow the agent to read plates while blocking the statistics call, or the reverse. Your stored token is injected only for the operations you permit, so the agent never sees the credential or reaches beyond the calls you approve.