# Facebook Search Videos API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/facebook/search-videos)

> Searches public Facebook videos and reels by keyword and returns unified Post items: video id, caption, permalink, thumbnail, the author's name and numeric id (`post.ext.author_id`), the author's profile URL (`post.ext.author_url`), and the verified flag where Facebook shows it. Facebook's search card carries no counts, no duration and no publish date (its view count is a rounded display string that runs well below the real count, so it is never parsed), so on a plain call `post.engagement`, `post.content.duration_seconds`, `post.published_at` and `post.author.avatar_url` are null on every row. Send `include=details` and every video is joined, in the same call, to the per-post lookup for its permalink: the exact view, like, comment and share counts (`post.engagement.views`, `.likes`, `.comments` and `.shares`), the duration, the publish time, the author's avatar and the per-reaction breakdown (`post.ext.reaction_counts`) land on each row. The video id, permalink, caption and thumbnail the search row carries are never replaced. With `start_date` or `end_date`, the join dates every video and a video dated outside your window is then dropped; its lookup is still billed, since the search card carries no date to filter on before it. Cost: 1 credit for the page plus 1 credit per video filled from a fresh lookup (7 videos a page, so 8 credits at most); rows already in cache are filled for free, rows that could not be filled are refunded, and a repeat of the same call within the cache window is 0 credits. Time: `include=details` adds 3 to 5 seconds on a fresh page (the lookups run in parallel and the call waits for the slowest, never more than 12 seconds) and nothing when the rows are already cached. The response carries a `hydration` block itemising rows, lookups, cache hits, credits and milliseconds. About 7 videos a page. Forward `pagination.next_cursor` as `cursor`.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/facebook/search/videos` costs 1 credit for the page. include=details holds 1 credit per video (7 a page) and keeps only the rows filled from a fresh lookup, so a page is at most 8 credits; rows served from cache are free, unfilled rows are refunded, and a repeat of the same call within the cache window costs 0. With `max_pages`, `max_items` or `max_credits`, each page walked is billed at this price (a cached page is free), and `max_credits` caps the total. and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | yes | Keyword or phrase to search for. |
| `cursor` | no | Cursor from the previous response. |
| `start_date` | no | Include videos on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD). |
| `end_date` | no | Include videos on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD). |
| `recent_videos` | no | When true, rank by recency instead of relevance. |
| `location_uid` | no | Facebook location id to scope the search. |
| `include` | no | Set to `details` (one token only) to fill `post.engagement.views`, `.likes`, `.comments` and `.shares`, `post.content.duration_seconds`, `post.published_at`, `post.author.avatar_url` and `post.ext.reaction_counts` on every video in this one call. Holds 1 credit per video (7 a page) and keeps only the rows filled from a fresh lookup: rows already in cache and rows the lookup cannot fill are refunded, so a page is never more than 8 credits. The join takes 3 to 5 seconds on a fresh page, never more than 12, and nothing when the rows are already cached; read `data.hydration` for the rows, the credits held and kept, and the time. Without it the call is unchanged. (details) |
| `since` | no | Only rows published on or after this date: YYYY-MM-DD (midnight UTC) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Rows older than it are left off each page. This list is not in date order, so the walk does not stop at the date: keep following `next_cursor`, and each page costs what a page costs even when every row on it is filtered out. A row with no date is kept. `published_after`, `start_date`, `from_date`, `publish_time` (`yesterday`, `this-week`, `this-month`, `last-3-months`, `last-6-months`) and `max_age_days` are accepted and applied as `since`. |
| `until` | no | Only rows published on or before this date: YYYY-MM-DD (that whole UTC day is included) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Newer rows are left off each page and the walk does not stop, so older pages follow. A row with no date is kept. `published_before`, `end_date` and `to_date` are accepted and applied as `until`. |
| `max_pages` | no | 1 to 50 (default 1, or 50 when `max_items` or `max_credits` is sent). Walk up to this many pages in one call and return the rows from all of them. Each page walked is billed exactly as one call to this endpoint (a cached page is free) and counts against your rate limit; its charge and any refund are recorded under the page's own request id, listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. The walk stops early at the last page, or when the request's time budget runs low; `data.walk.stopped` says why (`end`, `max_pages`, `max_items`, `max_credits`, `time_budget`, `page_error`) and `pagination.next_cursor` continues from where it stopped. |
| `max_items` | no | 1 to 5000. Get more in one call: keep walking pages until the response holds at least this many rows, then stop with `data.walk.stopped: "max_items"`. The last page is returned whole (it was billed), so `data.items` can hold up to one page more than this, and `pagination.next_cursor` resumes right after it without skipping a row. Walks up to 50 pages unless `max_pages` says fewer; each page is billed as one call (a cached page is free). Add `max_credits` to cap the spend. A long walk can stop on the time budget first (`"time_budget"`): send the returned cursor with the same params to continue. |
| `max_credits` | no | 1 to 100000. The most this call may spend, across every page it walks. A page starts only while the credits already spent plus that page's price (or, when higher, the most any page of this walk has cost) still fit, so the call never goes past it; the walk then stops with `data.walk.stopped: "max_credits"` and the cursor to resume. Sent alone, it walks as far as the budget goes (up to 50 pages). A value below the price of one page is a free 400 whose `error.details.page_credits` names that price. Credits a row join (`include=`) adds are known only once a page has run, so page 1 is checked against its own price. |

## Code example

```bash
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/facebook/search/videos" \
  --data-urlencode "query=NASA" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### What does the Facebook Search Videos API return?

Returns public Facebook videos matching a keyword, each with video id, caption, permalink, thumbnail, and author. The response uses the same JSON envelope as every SocialCrawl endpoint, with the data, credits_used and request_id fields.

### When should I use the Facebook Search Videos endpoint?

Use it to find videos by phrase. View counts on this card are a display string and are not parsed into engagement.views.

### How much does the Facebook Search Videos API cost?

The price depends on the request, from 1 to 8 credits per call. Every new account gets 100 free credits. Credits for failed or empty calls are refunded automatically, and there is no subscription.

### What parameters does the Facebook Search Videos API need?

The one required parameter is query (keyword or phrase to search for). It also accepts 11 optional parameters, all listed on this page.

### How do I call the Facebook Search Videos API?

Send a GET request to https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/facebook/search/videos?query=NASA with your API key in the x-api-key header. An Authorization: Bearer header works too.

See the full Facebook API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/facebook

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- What does the SocialCrawl Facebook Search Videos API return?
- How do I get Facebook Search Videos data with the SocialCrawl API?