ChuckNorris.io — Free Chuck Norris Jokes API (No Key)

TL;DR

ChuckNorris.io is the definitive Chuck Norris jokes API — generate random jokes, search by keyword, filter by category (animal, career, celebrity, dev, explicit, fashion, food, history, money, movie, music, political, religion, science, sport, travel), or substitute a custom name into the joke. Returns JSON with joke text, categories, and metadata. No API key required. This is the API behind the official chucknorris.io website and is used by thousands of apps worldwide.

Quick start: https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random

No API key needed — free for any use!

How to Use This API

1. Random Joke

https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random

2. Categorized Joke

https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random?category=dev

3. Search by Keyword

https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/search?query=roundhouse

4. List All Categories

https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/categories

5. JavaScript — Custom Name Joke

fetch('https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(joke => {
    // Replace Chuck Norris with your friend's name
    const custom = joke.value.replace(/Chuck Norris/g, 'Steve');
    console.log(custom);
    console.log('Category:', joke.categories.join(', '));
    console.log('ID:', joke.id);
  });

6. Python — Batch Joke Generator

import requests

for cat in ['dev', 'science', 'music']:
    r = requests.get(
      f'https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random?category={cat}')
    joke = r.json()
    print(f"[{cat.upper()}] {joke['value']}")

Random dev joke: https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random?category=dev

Try This URL Now

Frequently Asked Questions

How many categories are there?: 16 categories: animal, career, celebrity, dev, explicit, fashion, food, history, money, movie, music, political, religion, science, sport, travel.
Can I get a joke about a specific person?: There is no direct parameter, but you can replace "Chuck Norris" in the joke text with any name client-side using string replacement.
What does the JSON response look like?: {categories: [], created_at, icon_url, id, updated_at, url, value} where value is the joke text string.
Does the search endpoint handle partial matches?: Yes — the search uses full-text indexing against the joke database. Results include all jokes containing the query term, ranked by relevance.
Is the API fast enough for real-time apps?: Yes, response times are typically under 100ms. The API uses Cloudflare caching for the random endpoint.
Are there usage limits?: No documented rate limits. The API is designed for unfettered access and has been operating since 2015.

API Details

API URL: https://api.chucknorris.io/jokes/random
Documentation: api.chucknorris.io
Category: Fun
Authentication: Not Required
Geographic Coverage: Global — jokes in English

What You Can Build

Daily joke widget for websites and dashboards
Slack/Discord bot that posts Chuck Norris jokes on command
Developer joke generator for terminal/CLI tools
Custom name joke maker for birthday or party apps
Joke category explorer with search and filter UI