API Reference

Programmatically generate sitemaps, push URLs to search engines, and monitor indexing status. Our RESTful API is designed for reliability, speed, and developer experience.

Base URL

Base Endpoint

https://api.sitemap.xml/v1

All API requests must be made over HTTPS. Calls made over plain HTTP will fail. API requests without authentication will also fail.

Authentication

The Sitemap.xml API uses API keys for authentication. You can generate and manage your API keys in the Dashboard.

Include your key in the Authorization header using Bearer token format:

Header

Authorization: Bearer sk_live_your_api_key_here

Never expose your secret API keys in client-side code. Use restricted keys or a backend proxy for browser-based applications.

Rate Limits

API requests are rate-limited based on your subscription tier. Exceeding limits will result in a 429 Too Many Requests response.

Plan	Requests / Minute	Concurrent Requests
Starter	100	5
Professional	1,000	25
Enterprise	10,000	Unlimited

When rate-limited, include the Retry-After header in your logic to implement exponential backoff.

Generate Sitemap

POST /sitemaps

Initiates a crawl of the specified domain and generates an XML sitemap. Returns immediately with a job ID for polling.

Request Body

Parameter	Type	Description
`domain` Required	string	The root domain to crawl (e.g., `example.com`)
`max_urls` Optional	integer	Maximum number of URLs to include (default: 50000)
`include_assets` Optional	boolean	Include images and videos (default: `true`)
`ignore_paths` Optional	array	Regex patterns to exclude from crawling

Request

curl -X POST https://api.sitemap.xml/v1/sitemaps \\
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \\
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \\
  -d '{
    "domain": "shopwave.io",
    "max_urls": 10000,
    "ignore_paths": ["/admin/.*", "/cart"]
  }'

Response

202 Accepted

{
  "status": "processing",
  "sitemap_id": "sm_8f9a2b3c4d5e",
  "estimated_completion": 120,
  "webhook_url": null
}

Check Sitemap Status

GET /sitemaps/{id}

Retrieve the status of a previously generated sitemap and download URL if completed.

Response

{
  "status": "completed",
  "urls_found": 4829,
  "generated_at": "2025-01-15T08:30:00Z",
  "download_url": "https://cdn.sitemap.xml/sm_8f9a...xml",
  "expires_at": "2025-02-15T08:30:00Z"
}

Push to Search Engines

POST /index/push

Directly submit URLs to Google, Bing, and Yandex indexing APIs. Triggers immediate crawling.

Parameter	Type	Description
`urls` Required	array	List of URLs to submit (max 100 per request)
`engines` Optional	array	Target engines: `["google", "bing"]`

200 OK

{
  "submitted": 15,
  "failed": 0,
  "estimated_crawl_time": "2-15 minutes"
}

Indexing Analytics

GET /analytics/overview

Returns indexing statistics, coverage issues, and crawl frequency for your connected domains.

Query Parameters

domain: example.com
period: 7d|30d|90d (default: 30d)

Error Handling

The API uses conventional HTTP status codes. Errors are returned in JSON format with a structured payload.

400

Bad Request - Invalid parameters

401

Unauthorized - Missing/invalid key

403

Forbidden - Insufficient permissions

429

Rate Limited - Slow down

500

Server Error - Try again later

Error Response

{
  "error": {
    "code": "invalid_domain",
    "message": "The provided domain does not resolve or is blocked.",
    "request_id": "req_9x8c7v6b5n4"
  }
}

Pagination

List endpoints return paginated results. Use the cursor parameter to fetch the next page.

Pagination Example

{
  "data": [ // array of items ],
  "has_more": true,
  "next_cursor": "eyJpZCI6MTAwfQ==",
  "limit": 20
}