Yahoo! Answers API

Yahoo! Answers is a place where people ask and answer questions on any topic. The Answers API lets you tap into the collective knowledge of millions of Yahoo! users. Search for expert advice on any topic, watch for new questions in the Answers categories of your choice, and keep track of fresh content from your favorite Answers experts.

Getting Started

YQL makes it easy to use Yahoo! Answers data

YQL (Yahoo! Query Language) is an expressive SQL-like language that lets you query, filter, and join data from Yahoo!, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and a variety of other Web services. With YQL, you can read, write, and shape data across the Internet (in both XML and JSON formats) through simple REST requests, eliminating the need to learn how to use different APIs.

  1. Explore Yahoo! Answers data in the YQL Console to test your queries.
  2. Complete the The Two-Minute YQL Tutorial.
  3. Read how to access YQL from your application.
  4. Get your API Keys to sign your requests.
  5. Check out the YQL frequently asked questions (FAQ) for answers to common issues.

Accessing the Data

Using the data in your application

In order to access Answers data in your application, you’ll need to get a Yahoo! API key and configure it to use Yahoo! Answers. You can do this by creating a project for your application.

Create a Project

Rate Limits

Use of the Yahoo! Answers developer service should not exceed reasonable request volume. Access through YQL is limited to 10,000 signed calls per hour and 1,000 unsigned calls per hour, as defined in the YQL Terms of Use. If you believe your application will exceed such volume, please contact us.

TERMS OF USE

By using the Yahoo! Answers developer service, you agree to the Terms of Use.

Documentation

Learn how to use the Yahoo! Answers API through descriptions of its queries and parameters. In addition, the documentation also inculdes sample code to help get you started.

» Read Documentation

Using the Answers API

questionSearch

Find questions that match your query.

getByCategory

List questions from one of our hundreds of categories, filtered by type. You'll need the category name or ID, which you can get from questionSearch.

getQuestion

Found an interesting question? getQuestion lists all the details for every answer to the question ID you specify, including the best answer, if it's been chosen. Get that question ID from questionSearch or getByCategory.

getByUser

List questions from specific users on Yahoo! Answers. You'll need the user id, which you can get from any of the other services listed above.

Community

Forum

Join the conversation on the Yahoo! Answers developer forum to get help and touch base with other developers.