The Spotify Web API is Spotify's interface for developers, a set of web endpoints that other programs call over the internet. Apps use it to work with Spotify's streaming service: read data about tracks, albums, artists, shows and audiobooks, search the catalog, create and manage playlists in a user's account, and control playback on the user's devices.
A developer creates an app in the Spotify developer dashboard and receives a client ID and a client secret. Spotify uses OAuth 2.0, a standard in which the Spotify user signs in and grants the app scopes, named permissions such as reading or changing playlists; Spotify then issues an access token that the app sends with each API call. New apps start in development mode: the app owner needs a Spotify Premium subscription, at most 5 users on an allowlist can use the app, and requests count against a quota. Extended quota mode allows any number of users and higher rate limits; since 15 May 2025 Spotify accepts applications for it only from organizations, not from individuals.
Use of the API is governed by the Spotify Developer Terms of Service.