TikTok Search

API Overview

The TikTok API provides powerful search capabilities for discovering TikTok content, including keyword-based searches and trending content discovery across multiple countries.

Overview

The TikTok service offers two primary capabilities:

Query Search: Search TikTok content based on keywords or hashtags
Trending Search: Discover trending TikTok content sorted by various engagement metrics

The TikTok API requires an Apify API key to function. Ensure this environment variable is set before making any requests.

Job Types

`searchbyquery`

Searches TikTok content based on keywords, hashtags, or phrases. This job type allows you to find specific content across the TikTok platform. Use Cases:

Finding content about specific topics
Discovering videos with certain hashtags
Researching content trends for particular keywords

`searchbytrending`

Retrieves trending TikTok content sorted by various engagement metrics. This job type helps you discover what’s currently popular on TikTok. Use Cases:

Monitoring viral content
Tracking engagement trends
Analyzing popular content by country
Understanding what content formats are gaining traction

Parameters

Common Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`type`	string	Yes	-	The job type: `searchbyquery` or `searchbytrending`
`max_items`	integer	No	`10`	Maximum number of items to return

`searchbyquery` Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`search`	array[string]	Yes	-	Array of search queries (keywords or hashtags)

`searchbytrending` Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`sort_by`	string	No	`vv`	Sort trending content by metric. See Sort Options
`period`	string	No	`7`	Time period for trending content: `"7"` (week) or `"30"` (month)
`country_code`	string	No	`"US"`	Country code for regional trending content. See Supported Countries

Sort Options

The sort_by parameter for trending searches supports the following values:

Value	Description	Best For
`vv`	Sort by views/trending score	Finding viral content
`like`	Sort by number of likes	High engagement content
`comment`	Sort by number of comments	Discussion-generating content
`repost`	Sort by number of reposts/shares	Highly shareable content

API Examples

Search by Query

Basic Keyword Search

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbyquery",
    "search": ["AI", "crypto"],
    "max_items": 10
  }
}

Hashtag Search

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbyquery",
    "search": ["#artificialintelligence", "#machinelearning", "#tech"],
    "max_items": 25
  }
}

Multi-Topic Search

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbyquery",
    "search": [
      "sustainable fashion",
      "eco friendly clothing",
      "thrift haul"
    ],
    "max_items": 50
  }
}

Most Shared Content (Last Week)

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbytrending",
    "sort_by": "repost",
    "period": "7",
    "max_items": 10
  }
}

Most Commented Videos (Last Month)

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbytrending",
    "sort_by": "comment",
    "period": "30",
    "max_items": 20
  }
}

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbytrending",
    "sort_by": "vv",
    "period": "7",
    "country_code": "JP",
    "max_items": 15
  }
}

Most Liked Content by Country

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbytrending",
    "sort_by": "like",
    "period": "7",
    "country_code": "BR",
    "max_items": 25
  }
}

Use Case Examples

Content Research

Discover what topics are gaining traction:

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbyquery",
    "search": ["climate change", "sustainability", "green energy"],
    "max_items": 30
  }
}

Competitive Analysis

Monitor trending content in specific markets:

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbytrending",
    "sort_by": "vv",
    "period": "7",
    "country_code": "KR",
    "max_items": 20
  }
}

Engagement Analysis

Find highly engaging content formats:

{
  "type": "tiktok",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "searchbytrending",
    "sort_by": "comment",
    "period": "30",
    "country_code": "US",
    "max_items": 50
  }
}

Supported Countries

The TikTok API supports trending content from the following countries:

Americas

US - United States
CA - Canada
BR - Brazil

Europe

GB - United Kingdom
FR - France
DE - Germany
IT - Italy
ES - Spain
RU - Russia
TR - Turkey

Asia-Pacific

AU - Australia
JP - Japan
KR - South Korea
SG - Singapore
MY - Malaysia
ID - Indonesia
TH - Thailand
PH - Philippines
VN - Vietnam
TW - Taiwan
IL - Israel

Middle East & Africa

AE - United Arab Emirates
SA - Saudi Arabia
EG - Egypt

Best Practices

1. Query Optimization

Use specific keywords for targeted results
Combine related search terms in a single request
Include both general terms and specific hashtags

Use period: "7" for current trends
Use period: "30" for more stable trend analysis
Compare different sort_by metrics to understand content performance

3. Regional Insights

Always specify country_code when analyzing regional markets
Compare trending content across different countries
Consider cultural context when interpreting results

4. Data Collection

Set appropriate max_items based on your analysis needs
For comprehensive analysis, consider multiple queries with different parameters
Cache results to avoid redundant API calls

Response Data

While the exact response structure may vary, typical TikTok data includes:

Video Details: Title, description, hashtags, duration
Engagement Metrics: Views, likes, comments, shares/reposts
Creator Information: Username, follower count
Timestamps: Creation date, trending period
Media URLs: Video URLs, thumbnail images
Audio Information: Music/sound used in the video

Limitations

Search results are subject to TikTok’s algorithm and availability
Historical trending data is limited to 7 or 30-day periods
Country-specific trending may not reflect global trends
Content availability may vary by region
Maximum item limits apply to prevent excessive API usage

Error Handling

Common Error Scenarios

Invalid Country Code

Ensure the country_code parameter uses one of the supported country codes listed above.

Invalid Sort Option

The sort_by parameter must be one of: vv, like, comment, or repost.

Invalid Period

The period parameter only accepts "7" or "30" as string values.

Missing Required Parameters

searchbyquery requires the search array
searchbytrending has all optional parameters but benefits from explicit configuration

Notes

The vv sort option represents TikTok’s trending/view score algorithm
Period values must be strings ("7" not 7)
Search queries can include hashtags with or without the # symbol
Multiple search terms in the search array will return combined results

Data API

​API Overview

​Overview

​Job Types

​searchbyquery

​searchbytrending

​Parameters

​Common Parameters

​searchbyquery Parameters

​searchbytrending Parameters

​Sort Options

​API Examples

​Search by Query

​Basic Keyword Search

​Hashtag Search

​Multi-Topic Search

​Search by Trending

​Most Shared Content (Last Week)

​Most Commented Videos (Last Month)

​Regional Trending Content

​Most Liked Content by Country

​Use Case Examples

​Content Research

​Competitive Analysis

​Engagement Analysis

​Supported Countries

​Americas

​Europe

​Asia-Pacific

​Middle East & Africa

​Best Practices

​1. Query Optimization

​2. Trending Analysis

​3. Regional Insights

​4. Data Collection

​Response Data

​Limitations

​Error Handling

​Common Error Scenarios

​Invalid Country Code

​Invalid Sort Option

​Invalid Period

​Missing Required Parameters

​Notes