I Built a Free Public Random Quotes API — No Key, No Auth, Just Use It
Author
Prayush Adhikari
Date Published
Hey there! So you've been Googling for a **free quotes API** that doesn't require signing up, doesn't throttle you after 100 requests, and actually has useful filters?
Yeah, I built that. It's live, it's public, and I want you to use it.
**Base URL:** `https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api`
No API key. No authentication. No credit card. Just copy the URL and start fetching quotes. Let me show you everything it can do.
---
## Why Another Quotes API?
Most **random quotes APIs** I found while building projects were either:
- Dead (domain expired, RIP)
- Rate-limited to the point of uselessness
- Behind a signup wall for basic features
- Returning the same 20 quotes forever
I needed something with real filtering — by author, category, text search, quote length. So I built it. And since I built it anyway, I hosted it publicly so you don't have to.
---
## Try It Right Now
Open your browser or terminal and hit this:
```bash
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes/random"
```
You'll get back:
```json
{
"data": [
{
"quote": "I feel bare. I didn't realize I wore my secrets as armor until they were gone and now everyone sees me as I really am.",
"author": "Veronica Roth, Insurgent",
"category": ["armor", "secrets"]
}
],
"meta": {
"total": 499708,
"limit": 1,
"offset": 0,
"order": "random",
"returned": 1
}
}
```
Notice `category` is an array — a single quote can belong to multiple categories. And yeah, `meta.total` is 499,708. Nearly half a million quotes. That's not a typo.
That's it. No setup, no tokens, no nonsense. It just works.
---
## All Available Endpoints
Hit the discovery endpoint first — it gives you the full route map:
```bash
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api"
```
Here's what's available:
| Endpoint | What it does |
|----------|--------------|
| `GET /api` | Route map — your starting point |
| `GET /api/quotes` | Paginated quotes with all filters |
| `GET /api/quotes/random` | Random quote(s), default `limit=1` |
| `GET /api/categories` | All available categories |
| `GET /api/authors` | Searchable author list |
| `GET /api/health` | Load status + diagnostics |
---
## The Random Quotes Endpoint
The most popular use case — **get a random quote**:
```bash
# Single random quote (default)
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes/random"
# 5 random quotes at once
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes/random?limit=5"
```
This is what you want for daily quote widgets, Discord bots, browser extensions, email footers — anything that needs a surprise every time.
---
## Filters That Actually Work
This is where this **free quotes API** beats most alternatives. You're not stuck with just "give me random." Let me show you what's possible.
### Filter by Category
```bash
# Quotes about wisdom
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?category=wisdom&limit=5"
# Multiple categories (OR — matches either)
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?categories=wisdom,motivation&limit=10"
# Multiple categories (AND — must match all)
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?categories=wisdom,motivation&match_categories=all"
# Exclude a category
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?exclude_category=politics&limit=10"
```
### Filter by Author
```bash
# Partial match, case-insensitive
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?author=oscar&limit=5"
# Exact match
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?author_exact=Oscar%20Wilde"
# Exclude specific author
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?exclude_author=Napoleon&limit=10"
```
### Full-Text Search
```bash
# Search inside quote text
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?q=journey&order=text&limit=20"
```
### Quote Length Filters
Perfect when you have a UI constraint — like a widget that only fits a tweet-length quote:
```bash
# Short quotes only (under 100 characters)
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?max_len=100&limit=5"
# Medium length range
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?min_len=80&max_len=200&limit=5"
```
---
## Discover What's in the Dataset
Before you build filters, explore what categories and authors exist:
```bash
# All categories
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/categories"
# Categories with quote counts
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/categories?counts=true"
# Search authors by name
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/authors?q=einstein&limit=10"
# All authors (up to 100)
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/authors"
```
The `counts=true` on categories returns `{ name, count }[]` which is exactly what you need to build a category picker UI.
---
## The Seed Param — My Favorite Feature
This is the most underrated param in this **random quotes API**.
```bash
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?order=random&seed=42&limit=10"
```
Same seed = same "random" order, every single time. Use cases:
- **Daily quote of the day** — use today's date as the seed (`seed=20250506`)
- **Shareable quote lists** — send someone a seed and they see what you see
- **Reproducible testing** — no flaky randomness in your test suite
---
## Pagination for the Full Dataset
Random order doesn't support `offset` — that's intentional. But if you switch to deterministic ordering, pagination works perfectly:
```bash
# Page 1
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?order=text&limit=20&offset=0"
# Page 2
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?order=text&limit=20&offset=20"
```
The `meta` field in every response gives you `total` and `returned` so you can compute pages on your end.
---
## Using the API in JavaScript
This **quotes API** supports CORS, so you can call it directly from the browser — no backend needed.
```javascript
// Fetch a single random quote
const getRandomQuote = async () => {
const res = await fetch('https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes/random');
const { data } = await res.json();
return data[0];
};
// Fetch quotes by category
const getQuotesByCategory = async (category, limit = 5) => {
const params = new URLSearchParams({ category, limit });
const res = await fetch(`https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?${params}`);
const { data, meta } = await res.json();
return { quotes: data, total: meta.total };
};
// Daily quote using date as seed
const getDailyQuote = async () => {
const today = new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10).replace(/-/g, '');
const params = new URLSearchParams({ order: 'random', seed: today, limit: 1 });
const res = await fetch(`https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/quotes?${params}`);
const { data } = await res.json();
return data[0];
};
// Example usage
const quote = await getRandomQuote();
console.log(`"${quote.quote}" — ${quote.author}`);
```
---
## Using It in Python
```python
import requests
from datetime import date
BASE_URL = "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api"
def get_random_quote(category=None, limit=1):
params = {"limit": limit}
if category:
params["category"] = category
res = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/quotes/random", params=params)
data = res.json()
return data["data"]
def get_daily_quote():
seed = date.today().strftime("%Y%m%d")
res = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/quotes", params={"order": "random", "seed": seed, "limit": 1})
return res.json()["data"][0]
# Get a random motivation quote
quotes = get_random_quote(category="motivation")
for q in quotes:
print(f'"{q["quote"]}" — {q["author"]}')
# Get today's quote (same every time you call it today)
daily = get_daily_quote()
print(f'Daily: "{daily["quote"]}"')
```
---
## All Query Parameters at a Glance
Here's the full reference for `GET /api/quotes` and `GET /api/quotes/random`:
| Parameter | Description | Example |
|-----------|-------------|---------|
| `author` | Substring match on author name | `author=einstein` |
| `author_exact` | Exact author name | `author_exact=Albert%20Einstein` |
| `exclude_author` | Exclude this author | `exclude_author=Napoleon` |
| `category` | Must include this category | `category=wisdom` |
| `categories` | Comma-separated, OR logic | `categories=wisdom,love` |
| `match_categories=all` | Require ALL listed categories | `match_categories=all` |
| `exclude_category` | Exclude this category | `exclude_category=politics` |
| `q` | Substring search in quote text | `q=courage` |
| `min_len` / `max_len` | Quote character length range | `min_len=50&max_len=200` |
| `limit` | Results per page (default 10, max 100) | `limit=25` |
| `offset` | Pagination offset (not for random) | `offset=40` |
| `order` | `random`, `author`, `text`, `none` | `order=author` |
| `seed` | Deterministic shuffle for random | `seed=42` |
| `legacy=true` | Returns bare JSON array | `legacy=true` |
| `meta=false` | Omit meta object from response | `meta=false` |
---
## What Can You Build With This?
Here's what I'd love to see people building:
- **Daily quote bots** for Discord, Telegram, or Slack
- **New tab browser extensions** with category-filtered quotes
- **Motivational widgets** on personal portfolio sites
- **Quote-of-the-day email newsletters** using the seed param
- **Mobile apps** that match quote moods to user input
- **Screensaver or wallpaper generators** with random quotes
- **Obsidian plugins** that pull quotes into your daily notes
- **CLI tools** that show a quote on every terminal open
The API handles **CORS** for all GET requests, so browser-direct calls work without a proxy backend.
---
## Troubleshooting
**Getting empty `data: []`?**
Hit the health endpoint first:
```bash
curl -s "https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api/health"
```
It'll tell you if the full dataset loaded correctly or if there's a fallback in use.
**Filters returning fewer results than expected?**
You might be combining too many strict filters. Try loosening them one at a time. The `q` text search is a substring match, so `q=inspiration` won't match a quote containing "inspire."
**Need ALL quotes, not just 10?**
Use `order=text` (or `order=author`) with `offset` for pagination. `meta.total` tells you how many exist total. Don't use `order=random` with `offset` — it won't work.
---
## Wrapping Up
I built this **free random quotes API** because I was tired of hitting dead endpoints and rate limits every time I wanted to add a quote feature to a side project. Now you don't have to be.
It's free. It's public. It's not going anywhere.
**Start here:** `https://quotesapi.prayushadhikari.com.np/api`
Drop a comment with what you're building — I read every single one and it helps me figure out what to add next. Want me to cover setting up your own instance, adding new quote datasets, or building a Discord bot with this? Let me know.
I'm **Prayush Adhikari**, grinding through computer engineering and shipping things in public.
- **LinkedIn:** [adhikareeprayush](https://linkedin.com/in/adhikareeprayush)
- **GitHub:** [adhikareeprayush](https://github.com/adhikareeprayush)
- **Portfolio:** [prayushadhikari.com.np](https://prayushadhikari.com.np)
Now go fetch some quotes.
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