Chuck Norris Database API

Beginner's Pick Games & Comics / No Auth Required Beginner HTTP
Free to Use Varies (check documentation)
67 C
Measured Score 0 50 100 Reachability 30/30 Speed 5/20 Security 5/15 Developer XP 12/20 Reliability 15/15 TESTED 2026-07-23

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.

Available Data

joke text (setup/punchline)
joke category
joke type (single/twopart)
Use case: Integrate jokes data into web and mobile applications

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "error": false,
  "category": "Programming",
  "type": "twopart",
  "setup": "Why do programmers prefer dark mode?",
  "delivery": "Because light attracts bugs.",
  "id": 42,
  "lang": "en"
}

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

Request
// ⚠️ Note: This URL may be a documentation page. Check official docs for actual API endpoint.
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.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

404 on /jokes/random with invalid category The category name doesn't exist in the database.
First call https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/categories to get the valid list of category names.
Empty value field in response An extremely rare database issue or network problem.
Simply retry the request; the API is stateless and each call fetches a fresh random joke.
Receiving HTML instead of JSON The endpoint URL is incorrect and returning an error page.
Use the correct base URL https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random (not the icndb.com legacy URL).

Measured Score Breakdown

Live HTTP request to the API endpoint

Reachability 30/30
Speed 5/20
Security 5/15
Developer XP 12/20
Reliability 15/15
Endpoint Response Time 1051ms

Fully tested on Jul 23, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS NO
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Games & Comics
Difficulty Beginner
Verified: 2026-04-07

Related Tags

Similar APIs

View All →