Dog API

aid: dog-api
name: Dog API
description: >-
  The internet's biggest collection of open-source dog pictures. Fetching over 20,000 dog images accessible by more than
  120 breeds via a free, no-auth REST API returning JSON. Optional alt-text variants pair every image URL with
  descriptive text for accessibility.
kind: contract
x-type: opensource
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
  - Dogs
  - Images
  - Open Data
  - Open Source
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2024-11-14'
modified: '2026-05-30'
specificationVersion: '0.19'
access: 3rd-Party
position: Consuming
apis:
  - aid: dog-api:dog-api
    name: Dog API
    description: >-
      The Dog API (dog.ceo) is the internet's largest collection of open-source dog pictures, exposing over 20,000
      images across 120+ breeds. The API requires no authentication and returns JSON. The canonical implementation is
      the open-source PHP Symfony project at github.com/ElliottLandsborough/dog-ceo-api, MIT licensed.
    humanURL: https://dog.ceo/dog-api/
    baseURL: https://dog.ceo/api
    tags:
      - Dogs
      - Images
      - Open Data
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://dog.ceo/dog-api/documentation
      - type: GitHub
        url: https://github.com/ElliottLandsborough/dog-ceo-api
      - type: SourceImages
        url: https://github.com/jigsawpieces/dog-api-images
      - type: OpenAPI
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/openapi/dog-api.yml
      - type: Rules
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/rules/dog-api-rules.yml
      - type: JSONSchema
        url: >-
          https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/json-schema/dog-api-breed-list-response-schema.json
      - type: JSONStructure
        url: >-
          https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/json-structure/dog-api-breed-list-response-structure.json
      - type: JSONLD
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/json-ld/dog-api.jsonld
      - type: JSONLDContext
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/json-ld/dog-api-context.jsonld
      - type: Vocabulary
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/vocabulary/dog-api.yml
      - type: Plans
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/plans/dog-api-plans-pricing.yml
      - type: RateLimits
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/dog-api-rate-limits.yml
      - type: FinOps
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dog-api/refs/heads/main/finops/dog-api-finops.yml
common:
  - type: Website
    url: https://dog.ceo
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://dog.ceo/dog-api/documentation
  - type: GitHub
    url: https://github.com/ElliottLandsborough/dog-ceo-api
  - type: License
    url: https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
  - type: Tools
    title: MCP Server (Community)
    url: https://github.com/JithunMethusahan/dog-api-mcp-community
  - type: CodeExamples
    title: p5.js Example
    url: https://editor.p5js.org/codingtrain/sketches/lQxT7PTKC
  - type: CodeExamples
    title: Vanilla JS Example
    url: https://codepen.io/elliottlan/pen/MNEWNx
  - type: CodeExamples
    title: jQuery Example
    url: https://codepen.io/elliottlan/pen/KOXKLG
  - type: CodeExamples
    title: Flutter Example
    url: https://github.com/LIVELUCKY/dogs
  - type: CodeExamples
    title: Node.js Example
    url: https://github.com/mrbrunelli/dog-time-decorator
features:
  - name: No Authentication
    description: Fully open API; no key, token, or login required to consume any endpoint.
  - name: 120+ Breeds, 20,000+ Images
    description: Broad coverage of master breeds and sub-breeds curated from the jigsawpieces/dog-api-images dataset.
  - name: Alt-Text Variant
    description: >-
      Every image-returning endpoint has an `/alt` sibling that pairs the URL with descriptive alt text for
      accessibility.
  - name: Random Sampling
    description: >-
      Random selection is available across breeds, sub-breeds, and images, with optional counts up to the upstream
      limit.
  - name: Open-Source Implementation
    description: PHP Symfony source code is MIT-licensed and self-hostable; cache and image storage are pluggable.
  - name: Simple Envelope
    description: Every response uses a uniform `{message, status}` JSON envelope, with `code` added on error responses.
useCases:
  - name: Pet UI Components
    description: Drop random dog imagery into web or mobile components, demos, and onboarding flows.
  - name: Accessibility Demos
    description: Showcase or test alt-text rendering and screen-reader behavior with the `/alt` endpoint family.
  - name: API Workshops & Tutorials
    description: Use as a zero-friction, no-auth example API when teaching REST consumption, MCP, or API mocking.
  - name: ML Vision Datasets
    description: Pull breed-tagged dog photography as a permissive public dataset for vision model training and evaluation.
  - name: Mock & Contract Testing
    description: >-
      A stable, public envelope makes the Dog API a useful upstream for Spectral, Microcks, and contract-testing
      exercises.
integrations:
  - name: Naftiko
    description: REST + MCP capability adapters published for Breeds, Images, and Info surfaces.
  - name: Microcks
    description: OpenAPI ships with `x-microcks-operation` extensions and named default examples for direct mock import.
  - name: Spectral
    description: A repo-local Spectral ruleset enforces Dog API path, summary, parameter, and schema conventions.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com