Stack Overflow API

openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: Stack Overflow API
  description: >-
    The Stack Overflow API v2.3 provides programmatic read and write access to
    Stack Overflow questions, answers, comments, users, tags, and badges.
    Authentication is via OAuth 2.0. Register an application at
    http://stackapps.com/apps/oauth to obtain OAuth credentials. All responses
    are JSON-encoded and support GZIP compression with field-level filtering.
  version: '2.3'
  contact:
    name: Stack Overflow API Support
    url: http://stackapps.com/
  termsOfService: https://stackexchange.com/legal/api-terms-of-use
externalDocs:
  description: Stack Exchange API Documentation
  url: https://api.stackexchange.com/docs
servers:
  - url: https://api.stackexchange.com/2.3
    description: Stack Exchange API v2.3
tags:
  - name: Questions
    description: >-
      Operations for retrieving, searching, and writing questions on Stack
      Overflow.
  - name: Answers
    description: >-
      Operations for retrieving and writing answers to Stack Overflow questions.
  - name: Comments
    description: >-
      Operations for retrieving and writing comments on Stack Overflow posts.
  - name: Users
    description: >-
      Operations for retrieving user profiles and activity on Stack Overflow.
  - name: Tags
    description: >-
      Operations for retrieving tags used to categorize Stack Overflow questions.
  - name: Badges
    description: >-
      Operations for retrieving badge information on Stack Overflow.
  - name: Search
    description: >-
      Operations for searching Stack Overflow questions and content.
security:
  - oauth2: []
  - {}
paths:
  /questions:
    get:
      operationId: getQuestions
      summary: Get All Questions
      description: >-
        Returns questions on Stack Overflow sorted by activity, creation date,
        votes, or relevance. Supports filtering by tags and date ranges.
      tags:
        - Questions
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/fromdate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/todate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/tagged'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A list of questions
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
        '400':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/BadRequest'
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Unauthorized'
  /questions/{ids}:
    get:
      operationId: getQuestionsByIds
      summary: Get Questions by IDs
      description: >-
        Returns the questions identified by a semicolon-delimited list of
        question IDs (maximum 100).
      tags:
        - Questions
      parameters:
        - name: ids
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited list of question IDs (max 100)
          example: '12345;67890'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Questions matching the provided IDs
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
  /questions/{ids}/answers:
    get:
      operationId: getAnswersForQuestion
      summary: Get Answers for Questions
      description: >-
        Returns the answers for the questions identified by a semicolon-
        delimited list of question IDs.
      tags:
        - Questions
        - Answers
      parameters:
        - name: ids
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited list of question IDs
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Answers for the specified questions
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/AnswersResponse'
  /questions/unanswered:
    get:
      operationId: getUnansweredQuestions
      summary: Get Unanswered Questions
      description: >-
        Returns Stack Overflow questions that have no upvoted or accepted
        answers. These are questions that need community attention.
      tags:
        - Questions
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/tagged'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Unanswered questions
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
  /questions/featured:
    get:
      operationId: getFeaturedQuestions
      summary: Get Featured Questions
      description: >-
        Returns Stack Overflow questions that have active bounties. Bounty
        questions are featured to attract answers.
      tags:
        - Questions
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/tagged'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Featured questions with active bounties
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
  /answers:
    get:
      operationId: getAnswers
      summary: Get All Answers
      description: >-
        Returns all answers on Stack Overflow sorted by creation date, activity,
        or vote score.
      tags:
        - Answers
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/fromdate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/todate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A list of answers
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/AnswersResponse'
  /answers/{ids}:
    get:
      operationId: getAnswersByIds
      summary: Get Answers by IDs
      description: >-
        Returns the answers identified by a semicolon-delimited list of
        answer IDs.
      tags:
        - Answers
      parameters:
        - name: ids
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited list of answer IDs
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Answers matching the provided IDs
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/AnswersResponse'
  /comments:
    get:
      operationId: getComments
      summary: Get All Comments
      description: >-
        Returns comments on Stack Overflow posts sorted by creation date or
        vote score.
      tags:
        - Comments
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/fromdate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/todate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A list of comments
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommentsResponse'
  /users:
    get:
      operationId: getUsers
      summary: Get All Users
      description: >-
        Returns Stack Overflow user profiles. Use inname to filter by display
        name. Results can be sorted by reputation, creation date, or name.
      tags:
        - Users
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/fromdate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/todate'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - name: inname
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Filter users whose display name contains this string
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A list of user profiles
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/UsersResponse'
  /users/{ids}:
    get:
      operationId: getUsersByIds
      summary: Get Users by IDs
      description: >-
        Returns the user profiles identified by a semicolon-delimited list of
        user IDs.
      tags:
        - Users
      parameters:
        - name: ids
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited list of user IDs
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: User profiles matching the provided IDs
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/UsersResponse'
  /users/me:
    get:
      operationId: getAuthenticatedUser
      summary: Get Authenticated User
      description: >-
        Returns the profile of the authenticated user based on the provided
        OAuth access token.
      tags:
        - Users
      security:
        - oauth2: []
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: The authenticated user profile
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/UsersResponse'
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Unauthorized'
  /users/{ids}/questions:
    get:
      operationId: getQuestionsByUser
      summary: Get Questions by User
      description: >-
        Returns questions asked by users identified by a semicolon-delimited
        list of user IDs.
      tags:
        - Users
        - Questions
      parameters:
        - name: ids
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited list of user IDs
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Questions asked by the specified users
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
  /users/{ids}/answers:
    get:
      operationId: getAnswersByUser
      summary: Get Answers by User
      description: >-
        Returns answers posted by users identified by a semicolon-delimited
        list of user IDs.
      tags:
        - Users
        - Answers
      parameters:
        - name: ids
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited list of user IDs
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Answers posted by the specified users
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/AnswersResponse'
  /tags:
    get:
      operationId: getTags
      summary: Get All Tags
      description: >-
        Returns all tags on Stack Overflow. Use inname to filter by tag name.
        Results include usage counts and synonym information.
      tags:
        - Tags
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - name: inname
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Filter tags whose name contains this string
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A list of tags
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/TagsResponse'
  /tags/{tags}/info:
    get:
      operationId: getTagInfo
      summary: Get Tag Info
      description: >-
        Returns detailed information about the tags specified by a semicolon-
        delimited list of tag names.
      tags:
        - Tags
      parameters:
        - name: tags
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited list of tag names
          example: javascript;python
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Tag information
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/TagsResponse'
  /badges:
    get:
      operationId: getBadges
      summary: Get All Badges
      description: >-
        Returns all badges available on Stack Overflow, including bronze, silver,
        and gold badges for various achievements.
      tags:
        - Badges
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - name: inname
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Filter badges whose name contains this string
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A list of badges
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/BadgesResponse'
  /search:
    get:
      operationId: searchQuestions
      summary: Search Questions
      description: >-
        Searches Stack Overflow questions by title text, tags, and exclusion
        tags. At least one of intitle, tagged, or nottagged must be specified.
      tags:
        - Search
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - name: intitle
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Text that must appear in question titles
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/tagged'
        - name: nottagged
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Semicolon-delimited tags to exclude from results
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Questions matching the search criteria
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
  /search/advanced:
    get:
      operationId: searchAdvanced
      summary: Advanced Search
      description: >-
        Performs an advanced search of Stack Overflow questions with filters for
        acceptance status, answer count, body text, closure status, tags, user,
        view count, and wiki status.
      tags:
        - Search
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/sort'
        - name: q
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Full-text search query
        - name: accepted
          in: query
          schema:
            type: boolean
          description: Filter for questions with accepted answers
        - name: answers
          in: query
          schema:
            type: integer
          description: Minimum number of answers required
        - name: body
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Text that must appear in the question body
        - name: closed
          in: query
          schema:
            type: boolean
          description: Filter for closed or open questions
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/tagged'
        - name: title
          in: query
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Text that must appear in the question title
        - name: user
          in: query
          schema:
            type: integer
          description: Filter by user ID
        - name: views
          in: query
          schema:
            type: integer
          description: Minimum number of views required
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Questions matching the advanced search criteria
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
  /similar:
    get:
      operationId: findSimilarQuestions
      summary: Find Similar Questions
      description: >-
        Returns questions similar to a given title. Useful for finding existing
        answers before posting a new question.
      tags:
        - Search
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/site'
        - name: title
          in: query
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
          description: Question title to find similar questions for
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/pagesize'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/tagged'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/filter'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Questions similar to the provided title
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/QuestionsResponse'
components:
  securitySchemes:
    oauth2:
      type: oauth2
      description: >-
        OAuth 2.0 authentication. Register an application at
        http://stackapps.com/apps/oauth to obtain credentials.
      flows:
        authorizationCode:
          authorizationUrl: https://stackoverflow.com/oauth
          tokenUrl: https://stackoverflow.com/oauth/access_token/json
          scopes:
            no_expiry: Issues an access token that does not expire
            write_access: Allows write access to a user's data
            private_info: Access a user's private information
  parameters:
    site:
      name: site
      in: query
      required: true
      schema:
        type: string
        default: stackoverflow
      description: Stack Exchange site identifier (use stackoverflow for Stack Overflow)
    page:
      name: page
      in: query
      schema:
        type: integer
        minimum: 1
        default: 1
      description: Page number (1-indexed)
    pagesize:
      name: pagesize
      in: query
      schema:
        type: integer
        minimum: 0
        maximum: 100
        default: 30
      description: Number of results per page (max 100)
    fromdate:
      name: fromdate
      in: query
      schema:
        type: integer
      description: Unix timestamp for minimum creation date
    todate:
      name: todate
      in: query
      schema:
        type: integer
      description: Unix timestamp for maximum creation date
    order:
      name: order
      in: query
      schema:
        type: string
        enum:
          - asc
          - desc
        default: desc
      description: Sort order
    sort:
      name: sort
      in: query
      schema:
        type: string
      description: Field to sort results by
    filter:
      name: filter
      in: query
      schema:
        type: string
      description: Filter to control which fields are returned
    tagged:
      name: tagged
      in: query
      schema:
        type: string
      description: Semicolon-delimited list of tags to filter by
  responses:
    BadRequest:
      description: Bad request due to missing or invalid parameters
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
    Unauthorized:
      description: Authentication required or token is invalid
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
  schemas:
    Wrapper:
      type: object
      properties:
        items:
          type: array
          items:
            type: object
        has_more:
          type: boolean
        quota_max:
          type: integer
        quota_remaining:
          type: integer
        backoff:
          type: integer
        total:
          type: integer
    Question:
      type: object
      properties:
        question_id:
          type: integer
        title:
          type: string
        body:
          type: string
        score:
          type: integer
        view_count:
          type: integer
        answer_count:
          type: integer
        accepted_answer_id:
          type: integer
        is_answered:
          type: boolean
        creation_date:
          type: integer
        last_activity_date:
          type: integer
        owner:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/ShallowUser'
        tags:
          type: array
          items:
            type: string
        link:
          type: string
          format: uri
        bounty_amount:
          type: integer
        bounty_closes_date:
          type: integer
    Answer:
      type: object
      properties:
        answer_id:
          type: integer
        question_id:
          type: integer
        body:
          type: string
        score:
          type: integer
        is_accepted:
          type: boolean
        creation_date:
          type: integer
        last_activity_date:
          type: integer
        owner:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/ShallowUser'
        link:
          type: string
          format: uri
    Comment:
      type: object
      properties:
        comment_id:
          type: integer
        post_id:
          type: integer
        body:
          type: string
        score:
          type: integer
        creation_date:
          type: integer
        owner:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/ShallowUser'
        link:
          type: string
          format: uri
    ShallowUser:
      type: object
      properties:
        user_id:
          type: integer
        display_name:
          type: string
        reputation:
          type: integer
        user_type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - unregistered
            - registered
            - moderator
        profile_image:
          type: string
          format: uri
        link:
          type: string
          format: uri
    User:
      type: object
      properties:
        user_id:
          type: integer
        display_name:
          type: string
        reputation:
          type: integer
        user_type:
          type: string
        profile_image:
          type: string
          format: uri
        website_url:
          type: string
          format: uri
        location:
          type: string
        about_me:
          type: string
        creation_date:
          type: integer
        last_access_date:
          type: integer
        question_count:
          type: integer
        answer_count:
          type: integer
        link:
          type: string
          format: uri
    Tag:
      type: object
      properties:
        name:
          type: string
        count:
          type: integer
        is_moderator_only:
          type: boolean
        is_required:
          type: boolean
        has_synonyms:
          type: boolean
    Badge:
      type: object
      properties:
        badge_id:
          type: integer
        name:
          type: string
        description:
          type: string
        award_count:
          type: integer
        rank:
          type: string
          enum:
            - bronze
            - silver
            - gold
        badge_type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - named
            - tag_based
    QuestionsResponse:
      allOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Wrapper'
        - type: object
          properties:
            items:
              type: array
              items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Question'
    AnswersResponse:
      allOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Wrapper'
        - type: object
          properties:
            items:
              type: array
              items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Answer'
    CommentsResponse:
      allOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Wrapper'
        - type: object
          properties:
            items:
              type: array
              items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Comment'
    UsersResponse:
      allOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Wrapper'
        - type: object
          properties:
            items:
              type: array
              items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/User'
    TagsResponse:
      allOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Wrapper'
        - type: object
          properties:
            items:
              type: array
              items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Tag'
    BadgesResponse:
      allOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Wrapper'
        - type: object
          properties:
            items:
              type: array
              items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Badge'
    ErrorResponse:
      type: object
      properties:
        error_id:
          type: integer
        error_message:
          type: string
        error_name:
          type: string