REST APIs

The REST APIs provide programmatic access to read and write Twitter data. Author a new Tweet, read author profile and follower data, and more. The REST API identifies Twitter applications and users using OAuth; responses are available in JSON.

If your intention is to monitor or process Tweets in real-time, consider using the Streaming API instead.

Overview

Below are the documents that will help you get going with the REST APIs as quickly as possible

• API Rate Limiting
• API Rate Limits
• Working with Timelines
• Using the Twitter Search API
• Uploading Media
• Multiple Media Entities in Statuses
• Finding Tweets about Places

Latest Updates

As of version 1.1 of the Twitter API, the more recent updates to our API are highlighted below. We’re excited about what it means for developers and we’ve captured all the meaningful changes here so you don’t miss a thing.

Default entities and retweets

Where applicable, entities and retweets are returned by default in v1.1. Entities are returned as part of Tweet objects unless the include_entities parameter is set to false. Native retweets are included in timelines unless the include_rts parameter is set to false.

Authentication on all endpoints

We’re require applications to authenticate all of their requests with OAuth 1.0a or Application-only authentication. This visibility allows us to prevent abusive behavior, and it alsos help us to further understand how categories of applications are using the API. We apply this understanding to better meet the needs of developers as we continue to evolve the platform. 

Rate Limiting

We divide the rate limit window into 15 minute chunks per endpoint, with most individual calls allowing for 15 requests in each window. In most cases, you can query the API on a per endpoint basis more than the v1 API, and other widely used calls have been increased to 180 requests per window. This is particularly advantageous for apps making calls such as GET statuses / show / :id, GET users / lookup, GET search / tweets and others. Be sure to read the API v1.1 Rate Limiting documentation as well as review the per method limits available here.

Twitter client policies

All applications replicating the core Twitter experience, usually called “clients”, must adhere to certain restrictions, including a 100,000 user token limit. To be clear, the 100,000 user token limit applies only to the small number of clients replicating the core Twitter experience - it does not apply to the majority of other applications in the broader ecosystem. These clauses are outlined in detail in the Developer Rules of the Road.

Feedback and next steps

If you find any issues with the new version of the API, please use our discussion thread dedicated to API v1.1 where we’ll be available and actively listening to all of your feedback. We look forward to working with you through the evolution to version 1.1 and can’t wait to see what everyone builds.