# Web Start Crawl API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/web/crawl)

> Starts an async crawl job and returns a SocialCrawl job id (job_...). Poll or cancel it via GET/DELETE /v1/web/jobs/{job_id}, or track it with a webhook.

TL;DR: `POST /v1/web/crawl` costs 1 credit per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `url` | yes | Root URL to crawl. |
| `limit` | no | Maximum pages to crawl. |
| `max_depth` | no |  |
| `allow_backward_links` | no |  |
| `allow_external_links` | no |  |
| `include_paths` | no |  |
| `exclude_paths` | no |  |
| `webhook_url` | no | Optional webhook URL for terminal job updates. |
| `formats` | no |  |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/web/crawl?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

See the full Web API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/web

## 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