Color Name Finder is a tool for finding the closest named color from a hex color value. It uses color distance algorithms to match hex codes to CSS/HTML named colors and provides similarity scores for accurate color identification.
Try it — live request, no key required
No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
// Color Name Finder response payload
}
}
About the Color Name Finder API
Color Name Finder works by calculating the color distance between the input hex color and all CSS/HTML named colors, ranking them by similarity and providing multiple closest matches with detailed color information.
What people use it for
- Design Tools
- Identify and name colors in design applications and color pickers
- Accessibility
- Convert hex colors to named colors for better communication and documentation
- Web Development
- Find CSS color names for hex values to improve code readability
- Color Analysis
- Analyze and categorize colors in images and designs with standard color names
Ways to call it
One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.
- JSON
- Default REST response
- XML
- Markup format
- YAML
- Human-readable
- CSV
- Tabular export
- GraphQL
- Query language
- MCP
- For AI agents
Other ways to use Color Name Finder
Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.
What does the Color Name Finder API do?
How do I authenticate Color Name Finder API requests?
How much does the Color Name Finder API cost?
How fast is the Color Name Finder API?
What response formats does the Color Name Finder API support?
What HTTP method does the Color Name Finder API use?
Request parameters — GET /v1/colornamefinder
Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.
Required
| Parameter | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
hexRequired | string | FF5733 | Hex color value (with or without # prefix) hexColor |
Optional
| Parameter | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
closestOptionalPremium | integer | 3 | Number of closest color matches to return default 1 · range 1-20 |
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder?hex=FF5733&closest=3" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.
| Header | When | Value |
|---|---|---|
x-api-keyRequired | Every request | Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so X-API-Key is the same header. |
AuthorizationAlternate | Instead of the above | Bearer <key> — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing. |
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Response — GET /v1/colornamefinder
Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"input_hex": "#FF5733",
"input_rgb": {
"r": 255,
"g": 87,
"b": 51
},
"exact_match": false,
"closest_color": {
"name": "Tomato",
"hex": "FF6347",
"distance": 23.32,
"similarity": 94.72,
"rgb": {
"r": 255,
"g": 99,
"b": 71
}
},
"closest_matches": [
{
"name": "Tomato",
"hex": "FF6347",
"distance": 23.32,
"similarity": 94.72,
"rgb": {
"r": 255,
"g": 99,
"b": 71
}
},
{
"name": "Coral",
"hex": "FF7F50",
"distance": 49.41,
"similarity": 88.81,
"rgb": {
"r": 255,
"g": 127,
"b": 80
}
},
{
"name": "Chocolate",
"hex": "D2691E",
"distance": 52.82,
"similarity": 88.04,
"rgb": {
"r": 210,
"g": 105,
"b": 30
}
}
],
"total_named_colors": 141
}
}
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
input_hex | string | "#FF5733" | The hex color value provided as input |
input_rgb | object | {...} | RGB color values decomposed from input hex |
r | number | 255 | Red component value from input |
g | number | 87 | Green component value from input |
b | number | 51 | Blue component value from input |
exact_match | boolean | false | Whether the input matches a named color exactly |
closest_color | object | {...} | Best matching named color with distance metrics |
name | string | "Tomato" | Name of the closest matching color |
hex | string | "FF6347" | Hex code of the closest matching color |
distancePremium | number | 23.32 | Euclidean distance metric in RGB space |
similarityPremium | number | 94.72 | Similarity percentage of closest match |
rgb | object | {...} | RGB values of the closest matching color |
r | number | 255 | Red component of closest color |
g | number | 99 | Green component of closest color |
b | number | 71 | Blue component of closest color |
closest_matchesPremium | array[3] | Array of top matching colors with metrics | |
namePremium | string | "Tomato" | Name of matched color in results |
hexPremium | string | "FF6347" | Hex code of matched color result |
distancePremium | number | 23.32 | Color distance metric for match result |
similarityPremium | number | 94.72 | Similarity percentage for match result |
rgbPremium | object | {...} | RGB values of matched color result |
rPremium | number | 255 | Red component of result match |
gPremium | number | 99 | Green component of result match |
bPremium | number | 71 | Blue component of result match |
total_named_colors | number | 141 | Total count of available named colors |
Response headers
Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.
| Header | What it carries |
|---|---|
x-api-remaining-credits | Credits left in the current cycle |
x-api-credits-used | Credits spent in the current cycle |
x-api-max-credits | The allowance for the cycle |
x-api-version | Version of the endpoint that answered |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter that has to change. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted here | A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart, then back off or top up. |
What a call costs — 2 credits per call
Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.
| Plan | Per month | Credits | Color Name Finder calls | Per 1,000 calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 200 | 100 | Free |
| Starter | $29.99 | 200,000 | 100,000 | $0.30 |
| Pro | $99.99 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 | $0.20 |
| Mega | $299.99 | 4,000,000 | 2,000,000 | $0.15 |
Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.
Call it from cURL — GET /v1/colornamefinder
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/colornamefinder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/colornamefinder
Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Color Name Finder API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
npm install @apiverve/colornamefinderconst res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder", {
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Python — GET /v1/colornamefinder
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/colornamefinder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder",
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/colornamefinder
Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Color Name Finder API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
dotnet add package APIVerve.API.ColorNameFinderusing var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");
var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder");
Console.WriteLine(json);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Go — GET /v1/colornamefinder
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/colornamefinder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from PHP — GET /v1/colornamefinder
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/colornamefinder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/colornamefinder
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/colornamefinder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
require "net/http"
uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/colornamefinder")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.bodyResources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend
Drop an interactive Color Name Finder form onto any page. The widget calls the API for you, so no key ever appears in your markup and there is nothing to deploy.
Changelog — Color Name Finder API
Every change to this endpoint, newest first. Breaking changes ship as a new version and the previous one keeps serving — response fields are added, never removed or retyped in place, so an integration written against v1 keeps working.
Entries are picked up from dated catalog snapshots, so the first one appears after the next snapshot that moves something. A period where nothing changed produces no entry — silence is a valid changelog for the Color Name Finder API.
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