Hreflang Validator API

API ID 14381

Checks a web page's hreflang annotations against Google's documented rules and verifies that up to 10 alternates link back. Returns one graded JSON report with stable issue codes.

504 ms avg response

API Documentation

Endpoints

Request
The check endpoint fetches the page up to 5 redirects, first 1 MB, 10 second timeout internal and non-public addresses are refused and validates the hreflang annotations in its HTML head and Link response header. It then fetches up to maxAlternates alternates without following their redirects and verifies that each one answers with a success status, links back, uses the same code and is indexable. Limits XML sitemap annotations are not supported, and return links are checked for at most 10 alternates per page, the first 10 in declaration order, with any excess marked partial. Alternates are fe
Endpoint ID: 36043
GET https://zylalabs.com/api/14381/hreflang+validator+api/36043/validate+the+hreflang+annotations+of+a+live+page
INPUT PARAMETERS

Validate the hreflang annotations of a live page — Endpoint Features

Object Description
url Required Page to check, for example https example.com. If the scheme is omitted, the secure scheme is assumed example.com is checked as a secure URL . Aliases u, uri, link, target, site, website, domain and ho
maxAlternates Optional How many alternates to fetch for the return link check, taken in declaration order digits only, from 0 to 10. The default and the maximum are 10 any other value is answered with status 400 invalid max
fresh Optional Set to 1 to bypass the cache and re-check the page.

Free test requests remaining: 3 of 3.


INPUT PARAMETERS

url
maxAlternates
fresh
API EXAMPLE RESPONSE
JSON
{
    "url": "https://example.com/",
    "finalUrl": "https://example.com/",
    "statusCode": 200,
    "hreflangFound": false,
    "grade": "A+",
    "score": 99,
    "summary": {
        "errors": 0,
        "warnings": 0,
        "infos": 1
    },
    "issues": [
        {
            "severity": "info",
            "code": "no_hreflang",
            "message": "No hreflang annotations were found in the HTML <head> or the Link header. That is fine for a single-language site; multilingual sites should declare every language version. Basis: Google Search Central, \"Tell Google about localized versions of your page\".",
            "docs": "https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/international/localized-versions"
        }
    ],
    "omittedIssues": 0,
    "annotations": [],
    "annotationCount": 0,
    "selfReference": {
        "found": false,
        "hreflang": []
    },
    "xDefault": null,
    "canonical": null,
    "returnLinks": null,
    "cached": false,
    "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T02:00:54.694Z",
    "note": "Checks the hreflang annotations a page declares in its HTML <head> and Link response header, and fetches up to maxAlternates alternate URLs (without following their redirects) to verify return links. XML sitemap annotations are not read, JavaScript is not rendered, and the result does not show which version Google actually serves in search results."
}
Validate the hreflang annotations of a live page — CODE SNIPPETS

curl --location --request GET 'https://zylalabs.com/api/14381/hreflang+validator+api/36043/validate+the+hreflang+annotations+of+a+live+page?url=https://example.com&maxAlternates=10' --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' 


    

API Access Key & Authentication

After signing up, every developer is assigned a personal API access key, a unique combination of letters and digits provided to access to our API endpoint. To authenticate with the Hreflang Validator API simply include your bearer token in the Authorization header.

Headers
Header Description
Authorization Required Should be Bearer access_key. See "Your API Access Key" above when you are subscribed.

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Overview

Checks a web page's hreflang annotations against Google's documented rules and verifies that up to 10 alternates link back. Returns one graded JSON report with stable issue codes.

Hreflang Validator API FAQs

Language and region codes, self-reference, x-default, conflicting or duplicate annotations, relative URLs, canonical conflicts and whether up to 10 alternates link back. It returns a grade, a score and coded issues.

At most 10 per page, the first 10 in declaration order. When a page lists more, returnLinks.partial is true and the grade covers only the alternates actually checked.

No. Only link tags in the HTML head and the Link response header are read. A page that declares hreflang only in a sitemap is reported as having no hreflang.

Yes. A bare domain such as example.com is treated as https. Parameter aliases such as u, link, target and site are accepted as well.

Gate on the errors count in the summary rather than the letter grade alone. Add the fresh parameter set to 1 to bypass the 15 minute cache right after a deploy.

The API returns a graded JSON report that includes the URL checked, status code, hreflang findings, a summary of issues, and detailed information about any errors or warnings related to hreflang annotations.

Key fields include "url" (the checked URL), "statusCode" (HTTP response code), "grade" (overall assessment), "summary" (counts of errors, warnings, and info), and "issues" (detailed descriptions of any problems found).

The response is structured in JSON format, with top-level fields for the URL, status, grade, summary, and issues. Each issue includes severity, code, message, and documentation links for further reference.

The API provides information on hreflang annotations, including their presence, correctness, self-references, x-default settings, and whether alternates link back correctly, along with a grading system for assessment.

Users can customize requests by specifying the URL to validate. They can also control the number of alternates checked by adjusting the maxAlternates parameter, though the default is set to 10.

Typical use cases include validating hreflang annotations for multilingual websites, ensuring proper SEO practices, and identifying issues that could affect search engine indexing and user experience across different regions.

Users can analyze the "grade" and "summary" fields to assess overall hreflang implementation quality. The "issues" array provides actionable insights for fixing specific problems, enhancing site localization efforts.

Data accuracy is maintained by adhering to Google's documented rules for hreflang annotations. The API checks for compliance with these standards and provides stable issue codes to ensure consistent reporting.

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