Extract API Quickstart

The Extract API converts any public URL into clean markdown, including JavaScript-heavy pages and PDFs. It returns focused excerpts aligned to your objective, or full page content if requested.

See Pricing for a detailed schedule of rates.

1. Set Up Prerequisites

Generate your API key on Platform. Then, set up with the TypeScript SDK, Python SDK or with cURL:

echo "Install curl and jq via brew, apt, or your favorite package manager"
export PARALLEL_API_KEY="PARALLEL_API_KEY"

pip install parallel-web
export PARALLEL_API_KEY="PARALLEL_API_KEY"

npm install parallel-web
export PARALLEL_API_KEY="PARALLEL_API_KEY"

2. Execute Your First Extract

Extract clean markdown content from specific URLs. This example retrieves content from the UN’s history page with excerpts focused on the founding:

curl https://api.parallel.ai/v1/extract \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: $PARALLEL_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "urls": ["https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un"],
    "objective": "When was the United Nations established?"
  }'

import os
from parallel import Parallel

client = Parallel(api_key=os.environ["PARALLEL_API_KEY"])

extract = client.extract(
    urls=["https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un"],
    objective="When was the United Nations established?",
)

for result in extract.results:
    print(f"{result.title}: {result.url}")
    for excerpt in result.excerpts:
        print(excerpt[:200])

import Parallel from "parallel-web";

const client = new Parallel({ apiKey: process.env.PARALLEL_API_KEY });

const extract = await client.extract({
    urls: ["https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un"],
    objective: "When was the United Nations established?",
});

for (const result of extract.results) {
    console.log(`${result.title}: ${result.url}`);
    for (const excerpt of result.excerpts) {
        console.log(excerpt.slice(0, 200));
    }
}

Response Structure

Each result in the results array contains:

Field	Type	Description
`url`	string	The URL that was extracted.
`title`	string?	Page title, if available.
`publish_date`	string?	Publish date in `YYYY-MM-DD` format, if available.
`excerpts`	string[]	Relevant excerpts formatted as markdown.
`full_content`	string?	Full page content formatted as markdown, if `full_content` was enabled.

Both excerpts and full_content return content formatted as markdown. This includes links as [text](url), headings, lists, and other markup. If you need plain text, strip the markdown formatting in your application.

Sample Response

{
  "extract_id": "extract_470002358ec147e8a40cb70d0d82627e",
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un",
      "title": "History of the United Nations | United Nations",
      "publish_date": "2001-01-01",
      "excerpts": [
        "Toggle navigation [Welcome to the United Nations](/)\n[العربية](/ar/about-us/history-of-the-un \"تاريخ الأمم المتحدة\")\n[中文](/zh/about-us/history-of-the-un \"联合国历史\")\nNederlands\n[English](/en/about-us/history-of-the-un \"History of the United Nations\")\n[Français](/fr/about-us/history-of-the-un \"L'histoire des Nations Unies\")\nKreyòl\nहिन्दी\nBahasa Indonesia\nPolski\nPortuguês\n[Русский](/ru/about-us/history-of-the-un \"История Организации Объединенных Наций\")\n[Español](/es/about-us/history-of-the-un \"Historia de las Naciones Unidas\")\nKiswahili\nTürkçe\nУкраїнська\n[](/en \"United Nations\") Peace, dignity and equality  \non a healthy planet\n\nSection Title: History of the United Nations\nContent:\nThe UN Secretariat building (at left) under construction in New York City in 1949. At right, the Secretariat and General Assembly buildings four decades later in 1990. UN Photo: MB (L) ; UN Photo (R)\nAs World War II was about to end in 1945, nations were in ruins, and the world wanted peace. Representatives of 50 countries gathered at the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California from 25 April to 26 June 1945. For the next two months, they proceeded to draft and then sign the UN Charter, which created a new international organization, the United Nations, which, it was hoped, would prevent another world war like the one they had just lived through.\nFour months after the San Francisco Conference ended, the United Nations officially began, on 24 October 1945, when it came into existence after its Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories.\nNow, more than 75 years later, the United Nations is still working to maintain international peace and security, give humanitarian assistance to those in need, protect human rights, and uphold international law.\n\nSection Title: History of the United Nations\nContent:\nAt the same time, the United Nations is doing new work not envisioned for it in 1945 by its founders. The United Nations has set [sustainable development goals](http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/) for 2030, in order to achieve a better and more sustainable future for us all. UN Member States have also agreed to [climate action](http://www.un.org/en/climatechange) to limit global warming.\nWith many achievements now in its past, the United Nations is looking to the future, to new achievements.\nThe history of the United Nations is still being written.\n\nSection Title: History of the United Nations > [Milestones in UN History](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/1941-1950)\nContent:\n[](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/1941-1950)\nTimelines by decade highlighting key UN milestones\n\nSection Title: History of the United Nations > [The San Francisco Conference](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/san-francisco-conference)\nContent:\n[](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/san-francisco-conference)\nThe story of the 1945 San Francisco Conference\n\nSection Title: History of the United Nations > [Preparatory Years: UN Charter History](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/preparatory-years)\nContent:\n[](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/preparatory-years)\nThe steps that led to the signing of the UN Charter in 1945\n\nSection Title: History of the United Nations > [Predecessor: The League of Nations](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/predecessor)\nContent:\n[](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un/predecessor)\nThe UN's predecessor and other earlier international organizations\n[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)\n"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "errors": [],
  "warnings": null,
  "usage": [
    {
      "name": "sku_extract_excerpts",
      "count": 1
    }
  ],
  "session_id": "session_8a911eb27c7a4afaa20d0d9dc98d07c0"
}

Next Steps

Best Practices — learn about objectives, fetch policies, and excerpt settings
API Reference — full parameter specifications, constraints, and response schema
Rate Limits — default quotas per product

Getting started

Web Tools

Web Agents

Developer Tools

Platform Integrations

Data Integrations

Additional Resources

Extract API Quickstart

1. Set Up Prerequisites

2. Execute Your First Extract

Response Structure

Sample Response

Next Steps

​1. Set Up Prerequisites

​2. Execute Your First Extract

​Response Structure

​Sample Response

​Next Steps

1. Set Up Prerequisites

2. Execute Your First Extract

Response Structure

Sample Response

Next Steps