Twitch

Overview

The Twitch Helix API provides streams, channels, games, clips, users, and events for Twitch’s live-streaming platform. Auth is OAuth (client credentials for app-level data, user tokens for user data) — there’s no anonymous access (verified: no token → 401).

Quick Start

Get an app access token (client credentials):

curl -X POST "https://id.twitch.tv/oauth2/token" \
  -d "client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET&grant_type=client_credentials"

Use the token (replace CLIENT_ID and TOKEN):

# Live streams:
curl "https://api.twitch.tv/helix/streams?first=5" \
  -H "Client-Id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Top games / a user’s info:

curl "https://api.twitch.tv/helix/games/top?first=5" \
  -H "Client-Id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
curl "https://api.twitch.tv/helix/users?login=shroud" \
  -H "Client-Id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Authentication

• Register an app at dev.twitch.tv/console/apps → Client ID + Client Secret.
• App access token (client_credentials): covers app-level reads (streams, games, users).
• User access token (authorization code): user-scoped data (follows, subscriptions).
• Every request needs both Client-Id and Authorization: Bearer headers.

Rate Limits & Notes

• Rate limits: per-token, roughly 800 requests/minute (app tokens) — check the docs.
• All Helix endpoints require both headers; no anonymous access (verified 401 without token).
• Pagination via cursor in the response’s pagination object.
• The API returns JSON with data, pagination, and total fields.

FAQ

Is Twitch API free? Yes — the API is free within rate limits.

Do I need OAuth? Yes — an app access token (client credentials) is the minimum for reads.

How do I get a client id? dev.twitch.tv/console/apps → Register Your Application.