Dad Jokes API

GET

Add a fresh dad joke to your daily bot or loading screen.

Dad Jokes delivers a random dad joke with every request. Send a plain GET call without parameters to receive a clean punchline ready for display.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "joke": "What state do crayons go to on vacation? Color-ado."
  }
}

About the Dad Jokes API

Each GET request requires no query parameters or request body. The service selects an entry at random and returns a single text string containing the complete setup and punchline, ready to render directly in user interfaces.

What people use it for

Loading Screen Humor: Front-end developers display a random joke string to keep users amused while long asset downloads or background imports run.
Team Chat Commands: When a member types a fun slash command in team channels, a custom Slack bot prints the joke text instantly.
Daily Digest Greetings: Community managers fetch one joke each morning to insert an icebreaker into daily subscriber newsletters.
Custom Error Pages: To soften user frustration after broken links, web designers show a random pun on custom 404 pages.

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

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Dad Jokes

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit

Questions.

Common questions about the Dad Jokes API.

Read the docs →

How far does the Starter plan go for dad jokes?

The Starter plan covers up to 100,000 dad jokes each month. At 2 credits per call, that works out to about $0.30 per 1,000 jokes (or roughly $0.0003 per call). If you are testing your integration, the Free plan includes 100 jokes per month.

Can I filter jokes by topic or keyword?

No, jokes cannot be filtered by topic, subject, or keyword. The endpoint takes no input parameters and returns a randomly chosen dad joke on each call. Any categorization or content filtering must be handled in your application.

Can I fetch multiple jokes in a single request?

No, each call returns exactly one joke. To retrieve multiple jokes, make separate GET requests for each one. Each request deducts 2 credits from your balance.

Does the request require any query parameters to work?

No, the endpoint requires no parameters or payload. A standard GET request immediately returns a JSON response containing the joke text.

Does the API track which jokes have already been returned?

No, the API does not maintain user session state or history. Every call draws randomly from the joke collection, meaning repeats can occur across requests. If you want to prevent duplicates for a specific user, you must track previously shown jokes in your own database.

Request parameters — GET /v1/dadjokes

This endpoint takes no parameters

Call it with your key and nothing else. Any query string you send is ignored rather than rejected.

Example request

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes" \
  -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-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

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/dadjokes

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.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "joke": "What state do crayons go to on vacation? Color-ado."
  }
}

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
`joke`	string	`"What state do crayons go to on vacation? Color-ado."`	A randomly selected humorous dad joke text.

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	Dad Jokes 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.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/dadjokes

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/dadjokes with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/dadjokes-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceDad Jokes API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/dadjokesnpm apiverve-dadjokesPyPI APIVerve.API.DadJokesNuGet

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/dadjokes

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Dad Jokes API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/dadjokes

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/dadjokesThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/dadjokes-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceDad Jokes API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

apiverve-dadjokesPyPI APIVerve.API.DadJokesNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/dadjokes

Install the Python SDK, then call the Dad Jokes API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — PyPI

pip install apiverve-dadjokes

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

PyPIapiverve-dadjokesThe published Python client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/dadjokes-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceDad Jokes API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/dadjokesnpm APIVerve.API.DadJokesNuGet

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/dadjokes

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Dad Jokes API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.DadJokes

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.DadJokesThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/dadjokes-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceDad Jokes API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/dadjokesnpm apiverve-dadjokesPyPI

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/dadjokes

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/dadjokes 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/dadjokes", 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

@apiverve/dadjokesnpm apiverve-dadjokesPyPI APIVerve.API.DadJokesNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/dadjokes

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/dadjokes with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes");
curl_setopt($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

@apiverve/dadjokesnpm apiverve-dadjokesPyPI APIVerve.API.DadJokesNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/dadjokes

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/dadjokes with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dadjokes")
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.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/dadjokesnpm apiverve-dadjokesPyPI APIVerve.API.DadJokesNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

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Dad Jokes API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Dad Jokes API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Dad Jokes

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/dadjokes

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/dadjokes

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/dadjokes

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/dadjokes

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/dadjokes

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/dadjokes

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/dadjokes

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/dadjokes

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/dadjokes

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Dad Jokes API

Entertainment

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