Do you want to understand The Movie Database better? How does it improve Kodi? How do you setup your own API Key? We have all of those answers and more in our guide.
August 14th: The admin of TMDb has issued a statement about the Search and Discover endpoints not working. This is causing disruption in most or all Kodi addons and APKs.
TMDb is continuing to have some issues with the API, specifically the search and discover endpoints.
There is an unprecedented traffic spike that has been hitting the API over the past few days and one particular service is not designed for this load.For technical reasons, this service is not able to scale out like the rest of the infrastructure and under this load, it’s going down and taking the API with it.As a bandaid fix, I have disabled the search and discover endpoints. I understand that this is not ideas. As soon as I have an update I will post one.
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TMDB is a popular database for movie and TV information. The TMDB API Key allows you to access this database and pull in information such as titles, posters, plot for nearly every movie and TV show in existence. As well, it supplies categories such as Popular, Top Rated, Now Playing, etc.
Kodi addons use these categories and information as well, since they are nothing more than google search engines and provide or host no content of their own.
Recently, users have been reporting that their Categories have not been working on Covenant, Elysium, and other popular addons. When you try to open one, say “Most Popular”, it will try to load for a second and then fail. When this happens, the TMDB API Key is down. TMDB has recently started to block APIs who send excessive requests to their server, which happens when addon become to popular.
In order to make your Kodi categories more reliable, create your own API key below and add the information into your Kodi settings.
How to Create Your Own TMDB API Key
- Go to the TMDB website and sign up for a free account.
- Once you are logged in, click your Profile Icon in the top right corner and then select Settings.
- On the left side menu click API and then click Create in the middle of your screen.
- Fill out this form asking you for your address, phone number, and other information. You can use real or fake information, it doesn’t matter. At the end of this screen when you submit the information, you will be given a TMDB API Key.
How to Add TMDB API Key into Covenant & Elysium
- Launch the Covenant or Elysium Kodi addon.
- Select Tools > SETTINGS: Accounts.
- Under TMDB, click on API Key and enter in the code you were given above.
How to Add TMDB API Key into Metahandler Settings
The Metahandler service works behind the scenes to display meta data within your Kodi skin. If you have a personal API Key, entering it into the metahandler settings is highly recommend and only takes a moment:
- From your Kodi main menu, navigate to SYSTEM > Add-ons > SYSTEM > Dependencies > Metahandler > Configure
- Add your personal API Key under TMDB and enable the Override option.
And that’s it, you will now have access to all of the Categories and Playlists provided by each addon again.
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I can’t find the dependencies as you described above to put in metahandlet API. I’ve looked everywhere. I’m on 17.6
My reason for needing api key was that I am a student and am doing research and TMDB is the best source for my needs.
Miss Lynne E Martin-
You make absolutely no sense. Why leave a comment at all when you’re too lazy to use proper grammar or specifically reference what you’re commenting on? Ridiculous.
Do you have any idea or do you just want to come unstuck after making a mess and then say I can do it. Nothing stopping a little homework for free regarding abbreviations and the meaning behind them. Avoid using your usual gmail account for access to play or else it will be all over the site. Create a new one and get moving in minutes
I put whateveryouwant on on the application name and on the URL I put “whateveryouwant.Com” and on the message I put down “search new technologies”
Hi have no option of dependencies metahandler or configure, can anyone help me please
URL… just type http://whateveryouwant.com
Sgt
You do not need a API key
If the app doesn’t work use another app there are plenty out there to use . When people start using something else they owners will find a work around. This same issue has gone on before ! The are tons of apps that do not use the key to begin with . It is just a movie database and there are others that can be use
nvm, none of the videos work and it cant find sources to stream
worked, but i didnt unstand the second part, as i couldnt type in the metahandler and put in my API but either than that, works. thanks a bunch, getting sick of paying for netflix.
I accidentally changed the TVDM Key instead of the TMDM key but then changed the TMDM key. WIll it affect my streaming since I changed the TVDM API?
Hi,
Don’t know how to get the URL for the section, application URL!
What should I answer for applicant summary.
Thank you,
Lynn
This is amazing ! Finally it is working ! Can I use my personal API key for more than one android box I have at home ?
Thanks so much
Well I got my api key and nothing works. Doesn’t even load any movies or tv shows. Is there something else that I’m suppose to be doing. If I remove the api key everything comes back up. But a lot of buffering which is a pain.
Can’t seem to find the “create” API tab
Hey,
Best information on how to create TMDB API key. Although it is easy after reading this articles.
What it the URL
Don’t know how to get the URL for the section, application URL! Would love to be able to do this! Kodi seems to be my whole world right now.. lol
Covenent will not pull anything up for settings:accounts. So I can’t enter my api. I click it and nothing pulls up. Any suggestions?
nice post!!
Thank you very much for sharing nice tutorial in creating tmdb api key,helped me very easy through your tutorial.
Atop saying the name of the apps on kodi. That’s how w get caught up. I know exactly what’s going on….you’re giving out names of the apps that we watch …snitch. I hate you.
Trying to do this but not understanding application url.?
Sorry – now I see that just adding another line to the description made it succeed.
It doesn’t work for me or I don’t fully understand how to get the API key. I tried various entries in the application and I keep getting errors. They want me to elaborate on how I will use the key.