Simple API

Response Limits

Simple API responses include up to 20 items per page.

By adding the ?page parameter to the URL, you can retrieve up to 3 pages of data. If you need more than the maximum of 60 items, you must use the Advanced API.

Response Formats

All of the different response formats return the exact same data, but you can choose the format that is easiest to work with in the programming language that you’re using.

JSON

The JSON format can be used directly in JavaScript and many other languages. You can use this format in PHP: just call json_decode() to convert the data into an array.

JSONP

JSONP is the same as the JSON response, but it’s wrapped in a callback function. To get a JSONP response, just append ?callback=myFunction to the end of the JSON request URL.

PHP

When using this format, Vimeo will return a serialized PHP array. All you have to do is pass the data through unserialize() and you’ll have an array of the data.

XML

The XML version of the data is a very simple XML format that should be easy for you to parse. You can use SimpleXML in PHP to easily parse it.

Making a User Request

To access the data for a specific user, you simply request a URL from vimeo.com and let us know what you want. The URLs are simple, they can be built with the following format:

Making the URL

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/username/request.output

Requests you can make

Example Request

To get a list of the videos that you appear in, in XML format, you’d make this request:

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/brad/appears_in.xml

Example Response

Here’s an example of the XML response from an info call:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <users>
      <user>
          <id>101193</id>
          <display_name>Brad Dougherty</display_name>
          <created_on>2006-02-13 11:27:25</created_on>
          <is_staff>1</is_staff>
          <is_plus>0</is_plus>
          <location>Yardley, PA</location>
          <url>http://braddougherty.us</url>
          <bio>I am a Vimeo apprentice this summer! ...</bio>
          <profile_url>http://www.vimeo.com/brad</profile_url>
          <videos_url>http://www.vimeo.com/brad/videos</videos_url>
          <total_videos_uploaded>4</total_videos_uploaded>
          <total_videos_appears_in>2</total_videos_appears_in>
          <total_videos_liked>53</total_videos_liked>
          <total_contacts>45</total_contacts>
          <total_albums>0</total_albums>
          <total_channels>0</total_channels>
          <portrait_small>http://assets.vimeo.com/...jpg</portrait_small>
          <portrait_medium>http://storage10.vimeo.com/...jpg</portrait_medium>
          <portrait_large>http://00.media.vimeo.com/...jpg</portrait_large>
      </user>
    </users>

Making a Video Request

To get data about a specific video, use the following url:

Making the URL

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/video/video_id.output

The data returned from this method is the same as what is returned in any video list, except there is only one.

Making an Activity Request

To access the activity data for a specific user, a user’s contacts, or everyone, you simply request the following URL:

Making the URL

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/activity/username/request.output

Requests you can make

Example Request

To get a list of the recent things you did, in serialized PHP format, you’d make this request:

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/activity/brad/user_did.php

Example Response

Here’s an example of PHP array response from a user_did call (after calling the unserialize() function):

Array
    (
      [0] => Array
        (
          [type] => "add_tags"
          [date] => 2008-06-13 12:21:03
          [user_id] => 209837
          [user_name] => "Soxiam"
          [user_url] => "http://www.vimeo.com/soxiam"
          [user_portrait_small] => "http://20.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [user_portrait_medium] => "http://90.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [user_portrait_large] => "http://00.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [subject_id] => 209837
          [subject_name] => "lostinspace"
          [subject_url] => "http://www.vimeo.com/lostinspace"
          [subject_portrait_small] => "http://storage13.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [subject_portrait_medium] => "http://00.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [subject_portrait_large] => "http://00.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [video_id] => 429424
          [video_title] => "3space"
          [video_description] => "early lost in space film ..."
          [video_url] => "http://www.vimeo.com/429424"
          [video_thumbnail_small] => "http://40.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [video_thumbnail_medium] => "http://60.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [video_thumbnail_large] => "http://80.media.vimeo.com/...jpg"
          [video_stats_number_of_likes] => 22
          [video_stats_number_of_plays] => 427
          [video_stats_number_of_comments] => 6
          [video_tags] =>
          [action_tags] => "car",
        )
    )

Making a Group Request

Making the URL

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/group/groupname/request.output

Requests you can make

Example Request

To get a list of the videos in the ‘awesome’ group, in JSON format, you’d make this request:

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/group/awesome/videos.json

Example Response

Here’s an example of the JSON response from a videos call: (URLs have been shortened for formatting, you’ll get the full URL in your results. You’ll also probably get more than one video.)

[{
        "title": "Good Idea #4: Make A Wish",
        "url": "http:\/\/www.vimeo.com\/753571",
        "id": "753571",
        "description": "Tyler, Scott, and Jared meet a mysterious...\n",
        "upload_date": "2008-03-04 15:57:58",
        "thumbnail_small": "http:\/\/20.media.vimeo.com\/...jpg",
        "thumbnail_medium": "http:\/\/60.media.vimeo.com\/...jpg",
        "thumbnail_large": "http:\/\/30.media.vimeo.com\/...jpg",
        "user_name": "Kinetiq HD",
        "user_url": "http:\/\/www.vimeo.com\/user346742",
        "user_portrait_small": "http:\/\/40.media.vimeo.com\/...jpg",
        "user_portrait_medium": "http:\/\/00.media.vimeo.com\/...jpg",
        "user_portrait_large": "http:\/\/10.media.vimeo.com\/...jpg",
        "stats_number_of_likes": "38",
        "stats_number_of_plays": "19312",
        "stats_number_of_comments": 25,
        "tags": ""
    }]

Making a Channel Request

Making the URL

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/channel/channelname/request.output

Requests you can make

Example Request

To get the information for the “Delicious Sandwich” channel, in XML format, you’d make this request:

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/channel/delicioussandwich/info.xml

Example Response

Here’s an example of the XML response from an info call: (URLs have been shortened for formatting, you’ll get the full URL in your results. You’ll also probably get more than one video.)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <channels>
      <channel>
        <id>19</id>
        <name>Delicious Sandwich</name>
        <description>A Sandwich Blog</description>
        <logo></logo>
        <url>http://www.vimeo.com/delicioussandwich</url>
        <rss>http://www.vimeo.com/channel19/videos/rss</rss>
        <created_on>2007-08-10 09:31:58</created_on>
        <creator_id>76850</creator_id>
        <creator_display_name>Amir</creator_display_name>
        <creator_url>http://www.vimeo.com/Amir</creator_url>
        <total_videos>2</total_videos>
        <total_subscribers>69</total_subscribers>
      </channel>
    </channels>

Making an Album Request

Making the URL

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/album/album_id/request.output

Requests you can make

Example Request

To get a list of the videos in album 21, in XML format, you’d make this request:

http://vimeo.com/api/v2/album/21/videos.xml

Example Response

Here’s an example of the XML response from a videos call: (URLs have been shortened for formatting, you’ll get the full URL in your results. You’ll also probably get more than one video.)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <videos>
      <video>
        <title>the oregon trail: prequel</title>
        <url>http://www.vimeo.com/314947</url>
        <id>314947</id>
        <description>this movie is rated d ...</description>
        <upload_date>2007-09-21 20:36:30</upload_date>
        <thumbnail_small>http://80.media.vimeo.com/...jpg</thumbnail_small>
        <thumbnail_medium>http://10.media.vimeo.com/...jpg</thumbnail_medium>
        <thumbnail_large>http://00.media.vimeo.com/...jpg</thumbnail_large>
        <user_name>Soxiam</user_name>
        <user_url>http://www.vimeo.com/soxiam</user_url>
        <user_portrait_small>http://assets.vimeo.com/...jpg</user_thumbnail_small>
        <user_portrait_medium>http://00.media.vimeo.com/...jog</user_thumbnail_medium>
        <user_portrait_large>http://70.media.vimeo.com/...jpg</user_thumbnail_large>
        <stats_number_of_likes>72</stats_number_of_likes>
        <stats_number_of_plays>3269</stats_number_of_plays>
        <stats_number_of_comments>43</stats_number_of_comments>
        <tags></tags>
      </video>
    </videos>

That is pretty much it! Simple, eh?

Response Data

There are a few different types of responses.

Video Data

User Info Data

Group Info Data

Channel Info Data

Album Info Data

How about an example?

We’re already one step ahead of you! Just check out our API Examples repo on GitHub.