4chan Boards API
List of all boards on 4chan and 4channel and their per-board settings.
OpenAPI Specification
openapi: 3.0.3
info:
title: 4chan Read-Only JSON Archive Boards API
description: 'Read-only JSON API for the 4chan and 4channel imageboards, originally launched in September 2012. All endpoints are served as static JSON documents from `a.4cdn.org` over `http://` or `https://`. The API exposes only the public, anonymous read surface of the site: board metadata, board catalogs, board threadlists, archive listings, board index pages, and individual thread documents.
There is no authentication, no posting, and no per-user write surface. Only `GET`, `HEAD`, and `OPTIONS` are accepted. CORS is enabled only for origins `boards.4chan.org` and `boards.4channel.org`.
Clients MUST send no more than one request per second, MUST set thread-polling intervals to at least 10 seconds (preferably higher), and SHOULD use `If-Modified-Since` so that unchanged threads return `304 Not Modified`.'
version: '2026-05-28'
termsOfService: https://github.com/4chan/4chan-API#api-terms-of-service
contact:
name: 4chan API
email: api@4chan.org
url: https://github.com/4chan/4chan-API
license:
name: 4chan API Terms of Service
url: https://github.com/4chan/4chan-API#api-terms-of-service
x-generated-from: documentation
x-source-url: https://github.com/4chan/4chan-API
x-last-validated: '2026-05-28'
servers:
- url: https://a.4cdn.org
description: Production 4chan read-only JSON API (HTTPS).
- url: http://a.4cdn.org
description: Production 4chan read-only JSON API (HTTP, legacy clients only).
tags:
- name: Boards
description: List of all boards on 4chan and 4channel and their per-board settings.
paths:
/boards.json:
get:
operationId: getBoards
summary: 4chan List All Boards
description: Returns the comprehensive list of all 4chan and 4channel boards and their major settings (page count, per-page thread count, bump/image limits, cooldowns, feature flags, etc.). This is the canonical bootstrap call for any client — every other endpoint requires a board directory name from this document.
tags:
- Boards
responses:
'200':
description: Successful response. Returns the full boards list.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/BoardsResponse'
examples:
GetBoards200Example:
summary: Default getBoards 200 response
x-microcks-default: true
value:
boards:
- board: a
title: Anime & Manga
ws_board: 1
per_page: 15
pages: 10
max_filesize: 4194304
max_webm_filesize: 3145728
max_comment_chars: 2000
max_webm_duration: 120
bump_limit: 500
image_limit: 300
cooldowns:
threads: 600
replies: 60
images: 60
meta_description: '"/a/ - Anime & Manga" is 4chan''s imageboard dedicated to the discussion of Japanese animation and manga.'
spoilers: 1
custom_spoilers: 1
is_archived: 1
- board: po
title: Papercraft & Origami
ws_board: 1
per_page: 15
pages: 10
max_filesize: 4194304
max_webm_filesize: 3145728
max_comment_chars: 2000
max_webm_duration: 120
bump_limit: 500
image_limit: 300
cooldowns:
threads: 600
replies: 60
images: 60
meta_description: '"/po/ - Papercraft & Origami" is 4chan''s imageboard for paper engineering.'
is_archived: 1
'304':
description: Not Modified. Returned when an `If-Modified-Since` header matched.
'404':
description: Not Found.
'503':
description: Service Unavailable (rate limited or back-pressure).
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
components:
schemas:
Cooldowns:
type: object
description: Per-board cooldown intervals (in seconds) between successive posts of each type.
properties:
threads:
type: integer
description: Minimum seconds between consecutive thread creations from the same poster.
example: 600
replies:
type: integer
description: Minimum seconds between consecutive replies from the same poster.
example: 60
images:
type: integer
description: Minimum seconds between consecutive image posts from the same poster.
example: 60
Board:
type: object
description: A single board on 4chan or 4channel and its configured settings.
required:
- board
- title
- ws_board
- per_page
- pages
- max_filesize
- max_webm_filesize
- max_comment_chars
- max_webm_duration
- bump_limit
- image_limit
- cooldowns
- meta_description
properties:
board:
type: string
description: Board directory short name (used as the path segment for all per-board endpoints).
example: a
title:
type: string
description: Human-readable board title displayed at the top of the board.
example: Anime & Manga
ws_board:
type: integer
description: '`1` if the board is worksafe, `0` otherwise.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 1
per_page:
type: integer
description: Number of threads displayed on a single index page.
example: 15
pages:
type: integer
description: Total number of index pages on the board.
example: 10
max_filesize:
type: integer
description: Maximum file size allowed for non-`.webm` attachments, in bytes.
example: 4194304
max_webm_filesize:
type: integer
description: Maximum file size allowed for `.webm` attachments, in bytes.
example: 3145728
max_comment_chars:
type: integer
description: Maximum number of characters allowed in a single post comment.
example: 2000
max_webm_duration:
type: integer
description: Maximum allowed duration of a `.webm` attachment, in seconds.
example: 120
bump_limit:
type: integer
description: Maximum number of replies before a thread stops bumping to the top.
example: 500
image_limit:
type: integer
description: Maximum number of image replies before further image replies are discarded.
example: 300
cooldowns:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Cooldowns'
meta_description:
type: string
description: SEO `<meta>` description content for the board's catalog page.
example: '"/a/ - Anime & Manga" is 4chan''s imageboard dedicated to the discussion of Japanese animation and manga.'
spoilers:
type: integer
description: '`1` if spoilered images are enabled on this board.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 1
custom_spoilers:
type: integer
description: Number of custom spoiler image variants the board provides.
example: 1
is_archived:
type: integer
description: '`1` if the board has its archive enabled.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 1
board_flags:
type: object
description: Map of board-specific flag codes to human-readable flag names.
additionalProperties:
type: string
example:
AB: Flag Name AB
XY: Flag Name XY
country_flags:
type: integer
description: '`1` if poster country flags are enabled on this board.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
user_ids:
type: integer
description: '`1` if per-thread poster ID tags are enabled.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
oekaki:
type: integer
description: '`1` if users can submit drawings via the in-browser Oekaki app.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
sjis_tags:
type: integer
description: '`1` if the `[sjis]` Shift-JIS drawing tag is supported.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
code_tags:
type: integer
description: '`1` if `[code]` syntax-highlighted blocks are supported.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
math_tags:
type: integer
description: '`1` if `[math]` / `[eqn]` TeX rendering is supported.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
text_only:
type: integer
description: '`1` if image posting is disabled on the board.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
forced_anon:
type: integer
description: '`1` if the name field is disabled on the board.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
webm_audio:
type: integer
description: '`1` if `.webm` files with audio tracks are allowed.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
require_subject:
type: integer
description: '`1` if OPs are required to include a subject.'
enum:
- 0
- 1
example: 0
min_image_width:
type: integer
description: Minimum allowed width of uploaded images, in pixels.
example: 100
min_image_height:
type: integer
description: Minimum allowed height of uploaded images, in pixels.
example: 100
BoardsResponse:
type: object
description: Top-level response from `/boards.json`.
required:
- boards
properties:
boards:
type: array
description: Every board on 4chan and 4channel.
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Board'