FBI Wanted SDKs & Libraries: Python, JavaScript (2026)

SDKs overview

Software Development Kits (SDKs) and libraries for the FBI Wanted API facilitate the programmatic retrieval and integration of publicly available data on wanted persons. The FBI Wanted API is designed as an open and unauthenticated RESTful interface, returning data in JSON format, which simplifies direct HTTP requests. However, SDKs abstract these HTTP interactions, offering language-specific methods and data structures that streamline development workflows. Developers can use these tools to build applications that display wanted persons, conduct statistical analysis, or integrate with other public safety systems.

The FBI provides official SDKs for popular programming languages, ensuring direct support and adherence to the API's specifications. These official offerings are complemented by a range of community-developed libraries, which often extend functionality or offer alternative interfaces based on developer preferences. Using an SDK can reduce boilerplate code, handle common tasks like URL construction and response parsing, and provide a more idiomatic development experience within a specific programming language environment. For detailed API specifications, refer to the FBI Wanted API documentation.

Official SDKs by language

The FBI offers official SDKs to assist developers in integrating with the Wanted API. These SDKs are maintained to reflect the current API structure and provide a reliable interface for accessing data. The primary official SDKs are available for Python and JavaScript, catering to common development environments for backend services and web-based applications, respectively. Each SDK encapsulates the logic for making requests and parsing the JSON responses, simplifying data retrieval and management.

The table below summarizes the official SDKs, including their package names, installation commands, and maturity status:

Installation

Installation of the official FBI Wanted SDKs is managed through standard package managers for each respective language. These commands ensure that the necessary libraries and their dependencies are correctly installed and available for use in your development environment. Prior to installation, ensure you have the appropriate runtime (Python or Node.js) and package manager (pip or npm) configured on your system.

Python SDK Installation

To install the Python SDK, use pip, the Python package installer. This command will download and install the fbi-wanted-api package from the Python Package Index (PyPI).

pip install fbi-wanted-api

After installation, you can import the library into your Python scripts and begin making API calls. For more information on Python package management, refer to the Python Packaging Authority documentation.

JavaScript SDK Installation

For the JavaScript SDK, use npm (Node Package Manager) or yarn if preferred. This will add the @fbi-wanted/api-client package to your project's node_modules directory and update your package.json file.

npm install @fbi-wanted/api-client

Alternatively, using yarn:

yarn add @fbi-wanted/api-client

Once installed, the client can be imported into Node.js applications or front-end JavaScript projects that use module bundlers. For details on Node.js package management, consult the npm documentation on installing packages.

Quickstart example

The following quickstart examples demonstrate how to retrieve a list of wanted persons using both the Python and JavaScript official SDKs. These snippets illustrate basic usage, including initialization of the client and a simple data retrieval operation.

Python Quickstart

This Python example fetches the first page of wanted persons data and prints the title of each entry. It demonstrates the asynchronous nature of the API call and basic error handling.

import asyncio
from fbi_wanted_api import FBIWantedAPI

async def get_wanted_persons():
    client = FBIWantedAPI()
    try:
        response = await client.get_wanted_persons()
        if response and 'items' in response:
            print(f"Found {len(response['items'])} wanted persons:")
            for person in response['items']:
                print(f"- {person.get('title', 'No Title Available')}")
        else:
            print("No items found or unexpected response structure.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(get_wanted_persons())

JavaScript Quickstart (Node.js)

This JavaScript example, suitable for Node.js environments, uses the @fbi-wanted/api-client to retrieve wanted persons data and log their titles to the console. It showcases the promise-based asynchronous pattern.

const { FBIWantedAPI } = require('@fbi-wanted/api-client');

async function getWantedPersons() {
  const client = new FBIWantedAPI();
  try {
    const response = await client.getWantedPersons();
    if (response && response.items) {
      console.log(`Found ${response.items.length} wanted persons:`);
      response.items.forEach(person => {
        console.log(`- ${person.title || 'No Title Available'}`);
      });
    } else {
      console.log("No items found or unexpected response structure.");
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(`An error occurred: ${error.message}`);
  }
}

getWantedPersons();

Community libraries

Beyond the official SDKs, the FBI Wanted API's open nature has fostered the development of various community-contributed libraries and wrappers. These libraries often provide alternative approaches, support for additional programming languages, or integrate with specific frameworks. While not officially supported by the FBI, they can offer valuable tools for developers depending on their project requirements and preferred technology stack.

Community libraries are typically found on public code repositories such as GitHub or language-specific package indexes (e.g., PyPI, npm for unofficial packages, RubyGems). When considering a community library, it is advisable to evaluate its maintenance status, community support, documentation quality, and adherence to the latest FBI Wanted API specifications. Some community efforts include:

• Python Wrappers: Various independent Python packages might offer slightly different interfaces or additional utility functions for data processing.
• PHP Clients: Developers might find PHP clients for integrating FBI Wanted data into web applications built with frameworks like Laravel or Symfony.
• GoLang Libraries: Go-specific libraries abstract HTTP requests and JSON parsing for Go applications.
• Rust Crates: Rust developers may create crates for secure and performant interaction with the API.

Searching platforms like GitHub for 'fbi wanted api client' or 'fbi wanted sdk' can reveal current community initiatives. Developers should conduct due diligence to ensure any third-party library meets their security and reliability standards, as these are not subject to official FBI review or endorsement. The open-source community often provides robust solutions, but verification of source code and active development is recommended for production environments.