# Utility Data API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/utility)

> The Utility API adds AI helpers to your social data pipeline. Its age-gender endpoint takes any public image URL and returns an estimated age, predicted gender, and a confidence score as structured JSON — 10 credits per request on the premium tier, with no model hosting or ML setup on your side. Same x-api-key and envelope as SocialCrawl's other 43 platforms.

TL;DR: SocialCrawl's Utility API exposes 1 endpoints, 10 credits per call, all returning one unified JSON schema with AI-enriched fields. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Endpoints

| Endpoint | Method | Path | Credits | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Age Gender | GET | `/v1/utility/age-gender` | 10 | Detect age and gender |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/utility/age-gender?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Flevelsio" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Every response shares one JSON envelope: `{ success, platform, endpoint, data, credits_used, credits_remaining }`.

## SocialCrawl vs Self-hosted CV models

| Feature | SocialCrawl | Self-hosted CV models |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Setup | One GET request with an image URL — results in seconds | Model selection, GPU provisioning, and serving infrastructure first |
| Authentication | Same x-api-key you already use for 43 other platforms | None needed, but cluster access and secrets are yours to secure |
| Response schema | Age estimate, gender, and confidence score in the unified JSON envelope | Raw model output you normalize and post-process yourself |
| Pricing | 10 credits per detection; 100 free credits cover your first 10 calls | GPU time and ops cost whether or not detections run |
| Maintenance | Model upgrades happen server-side with the contract unchanged | Dependency upgrades, model drift, and security patches on your plate |

## FAQ

### What is the SocialCrawl Utility API?

The Utility platform hosts helper endpoints that enrich the social data you pull from SocialCrawl's other 43 platforms. Its first endpoint, GET /v1/utility/age-gender, uses AI to estimate the age and gender of a person from an image URL, returning the estimate with a confidence score.

### How does age and gender detection work?

You pass a direct image URL and an AI model analyzes the face in the picture, returning an estimated age, a gender prediction, and a confidence score for the prediction. It is one GET request — no model hosting, image uploading, or ML pipeline on your side.

### What can I build with age and gender detection?

Typical uses pair it with profile data from the other SocialCrawl endpoints: estimating creator demographics from avatars, building audience research panels, enriching influencer databases with age brackets, or flagging accounts for demographic-targeted campaign matching.

### How much does the age and gender detection API cost?

Each request costs 10 credits on the premium tier — the highest of SocialCrawl's three credit tiers (1, 5, and 10 credits). New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required, enough for 10 detections.

### What image URLs does the endpoint accept?

Any publicly accessible direct image URL — a profile avatar, a post photo, or a CDN link. The URL must point at the image file itself rather than a page that embeds it, and the face should be clearly visible for a confident estimate.

### Is it legal to run age and gender detection on photos?

The endpoint only processes the image at the URL you supply and returns statistical estimates, not identity matches. It performs no facial recognition and cannot identify who is in a photo, and SocialCrawl's terms prohibit using any output to identify, re-identify, or surveil individuals. You are responsible for having the right to analyze the image and for complying with biometric and data protection laws such as GDPR in your jurisdiction.

### What is the best API for age and gender detection?

SocialCrawl's GET /v1/utility/age-gender is the fastest path if you already work with social data: one GET with an image URL returns estimated age, gender, and a confidence score for 10 credits. It shares its key and JSON envelope with 40+ platform APIs, so avatar analysis plugs straight into profile pipelines. 100 free credits to start.

### Does SocialCrawl provide an age and gender detection data API?

Yes. The SocialCrawl Utility API is that data API: GET /v1/utility/age-gender takes any public image URL and returns an estimated age, predicted gender, and a confidence score as structured JSON, with no self-hosted computer-vision models to run. It shares the same x-api-key and envelope as SocialCrawl's other 43 platforms, so avatar analysis plugs straight into your profile pipelines at 10 credits per call.

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- What is the SocialCrawl age and gender detection API?
- How to detect age and gender from a photo with an API
- Best API for estimating creator demographics from profile photos