23 active reports 9 pets back home
My reports Post a report

For developers and organisations

API for developers and organisations

With the free Ik ben vermist API, a municipality, police zone, vet, shelter or news site shows on its own website or app which pets in the area are missing or found, with a link to the listing on ikbenvermist.be. We approve every key personally. You only get what is needed to link to us: the type of animal, the municipality, the date and the link.

  • Free
  • No personal data
  • Everything leads to ikbenvermist.be
Request a key Documentation

What we share

  • Listing number (id)
  • Status: missing, found, seen or back home
  • Type of animal (cat, dog, bird …)
  • Municipality and province
  • Date of the listing and of the last change
  • Permanent link to the listing on Ik ben vermist
  • Aggregated figures and the barometer
  • Municipalities with links to their page and the shelter list

What we never share

  • Names of owners, finders or reporters
  • E-mail addresses and phone numbers
  • The pet's name
  • Photos
  • Descriptions, features and free text
  • Chip numbers
  • Street, address or exact location on the map
  • Messages, sightings and searches

Why an API?

The more people see a listing, the sooner a pet is home. With the API you put the listings from your area on your own site as links: a "missing in our municipality" list, a counter on your home page, a notification in your app. Whoever clicks lands on Ik ben vermist, where owners and finders get in touch safely. You do not show photos or descriptions of listings on your own site: that way everything stays up to date and a listing disappears everywhere as soon as it is closed.

What organisations use the API for

  • Municipality websites and apps

    A "Missing and found in our municipality" block with links to the listings and to the municipality page on Ik ben vermist.

  • Police and vets

    See in your own system or intranet which animals are missing in the zone, and open the listing with one click.

  • Shelter software

    When an animal is brought in, check whether there is a listing nearby and click through to Ik ben vermist.

  • News sites and local media

    Show the current listings of a municipality as links next to an article about that municipality.

  • Research and policy

    Aggregated figures and the quarterly barometer, per province and type of animal, with the source credited.

How to request a key

  1. Fill in the form

    Tell us who you are and what you want to use the API for.

  2. Confirm your e-mail address

    You receive an e-mail with a confirmation link.

  3. We approve

    A team member reviews every request personally, usually within a few working days.

  4. Collect your key

    You receive a link that shows your key once. Store it safely.

Submitting listings through the API

Submitting listings through the API (for example by vets or a public authority) is prepared but not yet available. Even then, a listing never goes online directly: the reporter first confirms by e-mail, then our usual checks follow. Interested? Mention it in your request.

Request an API key

Expected use

We never share personal data through our API: no names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, chip numbers, photos, descriptions or exact addresses. Partner organisations only receive the type of animal, the municipality, the date and a link to the listing on Ik ben vermist. Contact always goes through our site.

Protected by Google reCAPTCHA (privacy and terms).

Limits and polling

Requests per key

per minute
60
per hour
1,000
per day
10,000

These are the defaults. Need more? Just ask. info@ikbenvermist.be

Limit reached or very busy?

429
Limit reached. Wait the number of seconds in Retry-After.
503
Temporarily very busy. Wait a moment, then try again.

Staying up to date

  • Listings at most every 15 minutes

    Sync with updated_since and If-None-Match: unchanged gives a 304 without content.

  • Figures and municipalities: once a day is enough

  • The same request comes from the cache

    Within 60 seconds (listings) or 1 hour (figures, barometer, municipalities) you get the previous response.

  • Removals within 24 hours

    Fetch the list of removed listings at least once a day and remove them on your side within 24 hours.

Documentation

The documentation describes every endpoint with parameters and examples in curl, JavaScript and PHP, plus an explorer where you can try the API straight away with sample data. For your own tools there is an OpenAPI 3.1 file.

Go to the documentation OpenAPI 3.1 (JSON)
curl 
curl -s "https://ikbenvermist.be/wp-json/ibv/api/v1/listings?gemeente=hasselt" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $IBV_API_KEY"

Terms of use

We never share personal data through our API: no names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, chip numbers, photos, descriptions or exact addresses. Partner organisations only receive the type of animal, the municipality, the date and a link to the listing on Ik ben vermist. Contact always goes through our site.

  1. Free, after approval

    The API is free. Every key is approved personally and valid for 12 months; you can renew it with one click.

  2. Always a link to Ik ben vermist

    Show the link from the url field with every listing, unchanged, with the credit "via Ik ben vermist". Contact between owners, finders and others always goes through our site.

  3. No copying of listings or photos

    You do not publish listings, photos, descriptions or other content from Ik ben vermist on your own channels. You only show the data from the API, as a reference to our site.

  4. No resale, no combining with personal data

    You do not sell, rent out or pass on the data. You do not combine it with personal data and do not try to find out who posted a listing.

  5. Removals within 24 hours

    Fetch the list of removed listings at least once a day and remove them on your side within 24 hours. The same applies to everything you fetched if your key expires or is revoked.

  6. Respect the limits

    Stick to the limits and polling rules above. Use If-None-Match and updated_since instead of fetching everything again.

  7. Keep your key secret

    Your key only belongs in the Authorization or X-API-Key header from your own server: never in a URL, in code that runs in the browser or in a public repository. Suspect a leak? Report it straight away and we will create a new one.

  8. We may revoke

    We can pause or revoke a key at any time, for example in case of misuse, if the terms are not followed or if you do not use it for 90 days. We may change the API; we announce major changes in advance.

  9. No warranty

    We do our best to keep the API available and correct, but we give no guarantee of availability or completeness.

  10. Contact

    Questions, a higher limit or a problem to report? E-mail info@ikbenvermist.be.

Frequently asked questions

What does the API cost?

Nothing. The API is free for organisations, developers, media and researchers. Every key is approved personally, though.

What data do I get?

Per listing: the number, the status (missing, found, seen or back home), the type of animal, the municipality and province, the date and a permanent link to the listing on ikbenvermist.be. Plus figures, the barometer and the list of municipalities. Never personal data, photos or descriptions.

Why no photos or descriptions?

Because they belong to the owners and finders and can change or disappear quickly. By always linking to our site, everyone sees the current listing and it disappears everywhere as soon as it is closed. Contact goes through our secure form, so nobody has to share their e-mail address.

Can owners choose whether their listing is shared?

Yes. When posting a listing you can tick that it should not be shared through the API, and change that later. Such a listing then does not appear in the API and is in the list of removed listings.

How soon do I get a key?

Usually within a few working days. After approval you receive a link that shows your key once.

Can I use the API in the browser?

No, the key belongs on your own server. Your server fetches the data and your website shows the links. That way your key stays secret.

Can I submit listings as well?

Not yet. That option is prepared, for example for vets or a public authority. Let us know if you are interested.