# URL to Markdown API quick start: your first page in two minutes

> URL to Markdown API quick start: get a key, read your first page with curl, Python or Node.js, and check your credits. From $0.07/1K pages, no KYC.

- URL: https://webreaderapi.com/docs/
- Last updated: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: WebReaderAPI (https://webreaderapi.com)

One endpoint, one parameter: send a URL to `/read` and get the page's main content back as Markdown. This page takes you from an empty balance to a working call, then points to everything else.

**Quick answer — How do I convert a URL to Markdown with an API?**

Send the URL to `GET https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/read` with your API key in the `Authorization` header. **WebReaderAPI** fetches the page, keeps the main content and returns it as Markdown with its title, author, date and word count. One page costs one credit (two if it needs a browser), from $0.07/1K pages as of October 2026. No KYC; pay in crypto.

## The API in one table

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Base URL | `https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1` |
| Read one page | `GET` or `POST https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/read` |
| Many URLs or a site | `POST https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/batch` and `POST https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/crawl`, results from `GET https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/jobs/{job_id}` |
| Credits left | `GET https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/credits` (free) |
| Authentication | Send your API key in the Authorization header as a Bearer token, or in the api_key query parameter |
| Billing | 1 credit = 1 page read without a browser; 2 credits when the page needs a browser to render JavaScript. A request that fails, or that a site's robots.txt refuses, is not charged |
| Our crawler | `WebReaderAPI/1.0 (+https://webreaderapi.com/bot/)`, robots.txt token `WebReaderAPI` |
| Smallest pack | 10,000 pages for $3.75; credits never expire |

## How do I get an API key?

Three steps, no form to fill in. The slowest one is the blockchain confirmation of your top-up.

1. **Top up in crypto** — Send at least $25 in BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. Account-number login; email is optional.
2. **Buy a credit pack** — 10,000 pages for $3.75 is enough to test every option on your own URLs.
3. **Copy your key** — Your API key is ready in the dashboard once your crypto top-up is confirmed and you have bought a pack. Store it in an environment variable named WEBREADER_API_KEY.

## What does the first request look like?

It is a plain HTTPS GET with the page address in the `url` parameter. Encode the address, because it contains its own `:` and `/` characters; curl does it for you with `--data-urlencode`. The default settings already suit most articles and documentation pages: Markdown output, main content only, and a browser only when the page needs one.

*curl: read one page*

```bash
curl -sG "https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/read" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $WEBREADER_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "url=https://example.com/blog/first-post"
```

*Python: read one page and save it*

```python
import os

import requests

resp = requests.get(
    "https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/read",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer " + os.environ["WEBREADER_API_KEY"]},
    params={"url": "https://example.com/blog/first-post"},
    timeout=70,
)
resp.raise_for_status()
page = resp.json()
print(page["title"], "-", page["word_count"], "words,", page["credits_used"], "credit(s)")
with open("first-post.md", "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    f.write(page["markdown"])

```

*Node.js 18+: read one page*

```javascript
const params = new URLSearchParams({ url: 'https://example.com/blog/first-post' });
const res = await fetch(`https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/read?${params}`, {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.WEBREADER_API_KEY}` },
});
const page = await res.json();
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${page.error.code}: ${page.error.message}`);
console.log(page.title, page.word_count, 'words');
console.log(page.markdown.slice(0, 500));

```

## What comes back?

A JSON object with the Markdown in the `markdown` field and the page's metadata next to it: `title`, `description`, `author`, `published_at`, `language`, `site_name` and `word_count`. Two fields help you check what happened: `final_url` is the address after redirects, and `rendered` tells you whether a browser was needed.

`credits_used` shows what the call cost: 1 for a plain page, 2 when `rendered` is `true`, one more if you chose a `country`. The [response format](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/response/) page lists every field with an example.

## Which options will I use most?

Five parameters cover most needs. All of them are optional.

| Parameter | Use it to |
|---|---|
| `format` | Get `text` or cleaned `html` instead of `markdown` |
| `main_content` | Set `false` to convert the whole page, menus included |
| `render` | Force (`true`) or forbid (`false`) the browser; `auto` decides |
| `include_links` | Get the page's links as a separate list |
| `max_chars` | Cut long pages to fit a model's context budget |

The [read reference](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/read/) describes every parameter, including `country`, `include_images` and `timeout`.

## How do I check my remaining credits?

Call `GET https://webreaderapi.com/api/v1/credits` with the same key. It returns `credits_remaining`, `credits_used_today` and your `concurrency_limit`, and it costs nothing. Run it at the start of a long job so the job stops cleanly instead of failing on `402 insufficient_credits` halfway through.

Prepaid credits never expire: unused pages stay on your account until you use them, so a pack bought for one project keeps its value for the next.

## What happens if a site does not allow robots?

We do not read the page, and you are not charged. Our crawler announces itself as `WebReaderAPI/1.0 (+https://webreaderapi.com/bot/)` and follows the site's robots.txt. A disallowed page returns `403 blocked_by_robots`; a site that refuses the request another way returns `502 target_refused` with the site's own status code.

If a site refuses our request, we return its answer: we never solve CAPTCHAs, log in to accounts, or try to get around a block or a paywall. The [errors page](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/errors/) explains which errors are worth a retry and which are final.

## Where do I go next?

- [Read endpoint reference](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/read/) — Every parameter of /read, with examples
- [Batch and crawl](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/crawl/) — Up to 100 URLs per batch, or a whole site
- [Response format](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/response/) — Every field of the answer
- [Errors and robots.txt](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/errors/) — Codes, causes and retry rules
- [Python](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/python/) — requests, async httpx, RAG chunking
- [Node.js](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/node/) — fetch, a small pool, crawl polling
- [curl and jq](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/curl/) — Recipes for the terminal
- [MCP server](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/mcp/) — A read_url tool for Claude and Cursor
- [LangChain and LlamaIndex](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/langchain/) — Loaders and tools for RAG
- [OpenAI function calling](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/openai/) — A read_url tool schema and loop
- [n8n](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/n8n/) — HTTP Request tool for an AI Agent
- [OpenClaw](https://webreaderapi.com/docs/openclaw/) — Add the MCP server next to web_fetch

## Quick start: common questions

### Is there an SDK to install?

No. WebReaderAPI is a plain HTTPS API, so any HTTP client works. The docs give copy-paste code for Python, Node.js and curl, and tool definitions for MCP, LangChain, LlamaIndex and OpenAI function calling. Nothing is published as a package.

### Can I send the key in the URL instead of a header?

Yes, as the `api_key` query parameter. The `Authorization: Bearer` header is safer, because URLs often end up in logs and browser history. Create several API keys, for example one per agent or project, and revoke any of them from your dashboard.

### Does a failed page use a credit?

No. 1 credit = 1 page read without a browser; 2 credits when the page needs a browser to render JavaScript. A request that fails, or that a site's robots.txt refuses, is not charged. Only a page that comes back with content is billed.

### Can I try it before buying?

There is no free tier. There is no free tier: the smallest pack is the way to test, paid from the minimum top-up, and the amount added only to reach that minimum can be sent back on request within 30 days, in USDT or USDC, while unspent.

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WebReaderAPI: WebReaderAPI is a web reader API for AI agents that turns any public web page into clean Markdown, paid in crypto with no ID upload. Prepaid credits from $0.07/1K pages never expire, and robots.txt is respected. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.