> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api.simkl.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# About Search

> Look up items by ID, by title, by file name, or pull a random item.

The Search API lets you find items in Simkl's catalog. All endpoints accept a `client_id` only — no user `token` required — and return [Standard Media Objects](/conventions/standard-media-objects).

<Note>
  **Got an external ID already?** Don't search — use [`/redirect`](/api-reference/redirect) to resolve it to a Simkl ID, then fetch the full record from `/movies/{id}`, `/tv/{id}`, or `/anime/{id}` (Cloudflare-cached by Simkl ID, much cheaper for repeat lookups). Search endpoints are for cases where you only have a title string, a file name, or want a random pick.
</Note>

| Endpoint              | What it does                                                            |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `GET /search/{type}`  | Free-text search across `movie`, `tv`, or `anime`.                      |
| `POST /search/file`   | Identify a movie or episode from a file name (great for media servers). |
| `POST /search/random` | Pick a random item, optionally filtered by genre, year, rating, etc.    |

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="By text" icon="font" href="/api-reference/simkl/search-by-text">
    `GET /search/{type}` — search by title.
  </Card>

  <Card title="By file" icon="file" href="/api-reference/simkl/search-by-file">
    `POST /search/file` — identify content from a file name.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Random" icon="shuffle" href="/api-reference/simkl/search-random">
    `POST /search/random` — pick a random item.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>