Quickstart Guide
The Languagelayer API is easy to use and requires only a few lines of code to perform your first language detection request. All registered users—on both free and paid plans—can use this Quickstart Guide to explore the API’s core functionality in minutes.
- Existing users: Access the Quickstart Guide below.
- New users: Create an account and get started in just a few minutes.
Step 1: Get Your API Access Key
Sign up for a free Languagelayer account to begin using the API. Once registered, your personal API Access Key will be available in your Account Dashboard.
This key is required to authenticate every API request and determines which features are available under your subscription plan. Keep it secure—you can reset it at any time from the Dashboard.
Step 2: Choose the API Endpoint
To detect the language of a text, use the Languagelayer detect endpoint. This endpoint supports single-text language detection requests.
Endpoint URL:
Looking to process multiple texts at once? See the Batch Requests section for bulk detection.
Step 3: Set Required Parameters
Each API request must include the following required query parameters:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
access_key | Your personal API access key, available in your Account Dashboard |
query | The full text you want the API to analyze for language detection |
Important: If your query text contains special characters such as
&, make sure the text is URL encoded before sending the request.
Step 4: Send the Request
You can send a simple GET request using your browser, cURL, or any HTTP client.
Example using cURL:
Step 5: Read the API Response
The API returns a JSON response containing:
- The detected language
- Confidence scores
- Reliability indicators
You can now integrate these results directly into your application or workflow.
Step 6: (Optional) Use Additional Parameters
You may include the following optional parameters to customize the response:
| Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
show_query | Set to 1 to include the original query text in the response | – |
callback | Specify a JSONP callback function name | – |
format | Set to 1 to return a prettified JSON response (recommended for debugging only) | – |
Example Request
The following example detects the language of the famous English quote:
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”
You’re now ready to start detecting languages with the Languagelayer API. 🚀