Chuck Norris Database API
Overview
The Chuck Norris Database API (ICNDB) delivers random Chuck Norris jokes as JSON with zero setup — no API key needed, just a simple GET request. You can filter by category, request a specific joke by ID, or replace the default name with a custom one using query parameters. It's one of the easiest APIs to start with for learning HTTP requests and JSON parsing.
Beginner Tip
Use the 'firstName' and 'lastName' query parameters to personalize jokes with any name, making it fun for building custom greeting bots.
Measurement Record
What actually happened when we called this API from our own infrastructure. Every value below was recorded by the request, not copied from the provider's documentation.
- Request
- GET https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random?category=science
- Result
- HTTP 200 · application/json · 338 bytes · compressed
- Response time
- 281 ms (median of 3) · fastest 276 ms
- Transport
- TLSv1.3 · TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 · certificate issued by Google Trust Services
- Browser CORS
- Allowed — Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
- Served by
- cloudflare
- Answered
- 8 of 8 weekly checks (100%, since 2026-07-31)
- Recorded
- 2026-09-21
Fields Returned
Top-level fields present in the response we captured, with the type and value we actually received.
| Field | Type | Value received |
|---|---|---|
| categories | array | [1 item] |
| created_at | string (date) | 2020-01-05 13:42:19.324003 |
| icon_url | string (url) | https://api.chucknorris.io/img/avatar/chuck-n… |
| id | string | q7x2yb1tspujmkwwdyqrsw |
| updated_at | string (date) | 2020-01-05 13:42:19.324003 |
| url | string (url) | https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/q7x2yb1tspuj… |
| value | string | Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chu… |
Captured Response
Captured from a real request to https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random?category=science on 2026-09-21. Long arrays and nested objects are truncated to keep the shape readable.
{
"categories": [
"science"
],
"created_at": "2020-01-05 13:42:19.324003",
"icon_url": "https://api.chucknorris.io/img/avatar/chuck-norris.png",
"id": "q7x2yb1tspujmkwwdyqrsw",
"updated_at": "2020-01-05 13:42:19.324003",
"url": "https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/q7x2yb1tspujmkwwdyqrsw",
"value": "Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris."
} Field Reference
id Unique identifier for the joke, usable in the /jokes/{id} endpoint. value The joke text itself. categories List of category tags for the joke (e.g. 'science', 'sport'); empty array means uncategorized. url Direct permalink URL to this specific joke on the Chuck Norris IO website. Implementation Example
Calls a real endpoint of this API. Replace any placeholder credentials with your own key.
const url = "http://www.icndb.com/api/";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data); What Can You Build?
Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.
How This API Fails
We deliberately sent this API a broken request and recorded exactly what came back on 2026-09-21. Knowing the shape of an error before you hit it makes error handling much easier to write.
{
"timestamp": "2026-09-21T19:40:45.182Z",
"status": 404,
"error": "Not Found",
"path": "/jokes/random/apisscore-nonexistent-path"
} {
"timestamp": "2026-09-21T19:40:45.461Z",
"status": 404,
"error": "Not Found",
"path": "/jokes/random"
} Common Errors & Troubleshooting
Generated guidance based on this API's documentation, not observed by us. Treat it as a starting point and check against the provider's own error reference.
Measured Score Breakdown
Live HTTP request to the API endpoint
Fully tested on Sep 21, 2026
Technical Specifications
Related Tags
Similar APIs
View All →Animal Crossing: New Horizons
⭐ Beginner's PickThe Animal Crossing: New Horizons API gives you free access to in-game data including villagers, critters, fossils, art, music, and furniture.
Autochess VNG
The Autochess VNG API provides game data for the Autochess VNG mobile game including heroes, items, and races.
Barter.VG
Barter.VG aggregates data about PC games, DLC, bundles, giveaways, and trading from Steam and other platforms.
Digimon Information
⭐ Beginner's PickThe Digimon Information API provides easy access to data about Digimon creatures, including their names, levels, types, and images.
Genshin Impact
⭐ Beginner's PickThe Genshin Impact API provides detailed game data including characters, weapons, artifacts, enemies, and domains from the popular action RPG.