Parameter	Type	Requirement	Description
target	string	Required	Domain, subdomain, or exact URL to check. Returns 422 if missing.
min_spam_score	number	Required	Only return backlinks with spam score ≥ this value. Range 1–100 (higher = spammier).
limit	number	Required	Max backlinks to return. Range 1–1000.
offset	string	Required	Results to skip — use with limit for pagination.
backlinks_status_type	string	Required	Link scope: live, lost, all.
include_subdomains	string	Required	Also count links pointing to subdomains of the target.
exclude_internal_backlinks	string	Required	Drop links from the target's own domain.
include_indirect_links	string	Required	Include links reaching the target via redirects or canonicals.

Find Spam Backlinks API

The VebAPI Find Spam Backlinks API helps developers, SEO platforms, agencies, and website owners identify suspicious, low-quality, and potentially harmful backlinks pointing to a domain, subdomain, or exact URL.

The API filters backlinks using a configurable spam score and returns detailed information about each referring page, referring domain, anchor text, link type, follow status, link discovery date, and backlink status.

Find Toxic and Suspicious Backlinks Programmatically

Use the Spam Backlinks API to build backlink auditing tools, toxic link monitoring systems, SEO dashboards, domain risk analysis platforms, and automated backlink cleanup workflows.

By default, the API returns backlinks with a spam score of 30 or higher. You can adjust the minimum spam score from 1 to 100 depending on how strict your backlink filtering should be.

Search a 12 billion backlink database.
Access backlink data updated every day.
Benefit from 99.9% service availability.
Analyse backlinks across approximately 95% of domains.
Filter backlinks by minimum spam score.
Identify live, lost, and suspicious backlinks.
Analyse referring domains, anchor text, link type, and follow status.
Use pagination to process large backlink profiles.

API Endpoint

GET https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam

Authentication

Authenticate each request by including your VebAPI API key in the X-API-KEY request header.

X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY

Request Example

curl -X GET "https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=vebapi.com&limit=100" \
```

-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" 
-H "Content-Type: application/json"

Request Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Required	Description
`target`	string	—	Yes	Domain, subdomain, or exact URL to check for spam backlinks. For example: `vebapi.com`, `blog.vebapi.com`, or `https://vebapi.com/pricing`. The API returns a 422 validation response when this parameter is missing.
`min_spam_score`	integer	30	No	Only return backlinks with a spam score greater than or equal to this value. Supported range: `1` to `100`. A higher value returns backlinks considered more suspicious or spammy.
`limit`	integer	100	No	Maximum number of backlinks to return in one request. Supported range: `1` to `1000`.
`offset`	integer	0	No	Number of matching backlinks to skip before returning results. Use this parameter with `limit` for pagination.
`backlinks_status_type`	string	live	No	Controls which backlinks are included. Supported values are `live`, `lost`, and `all`.
`include_subdomains`	boolean	true	No	When enabled, the API also includes backlinks pointing to subdomains of the target domain.
`exclude_internal_backlinks`	boolean	true	No	Removes backlinks originating from the target's own domain or related subdomains, leaving only external backlinks.
`include_indirect_links`	boolean	true	No	Includes backlinks that reach the target through redirects, canonical URLs, or other indirect link paths.

Spam Score Filtering

The min_spam_score parameter controls the minimum spam score required for a backlink to appear in the response.

For example, setting min_spam_score=50 returns only backlinks with a spam score of 50 or higher.

GET https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=vebapi.com&min_spam_score=50

Spam score should be treated as a backlink risk signal rather than automatic proof that a link is harmful. Backlinks should be reviewed alongside domain quality, anchor text, link placement, relevance, link type, and traffic signals before taking action.

Backlink Status Options

Value	Description
`live`	Returns spam backlinks that are currently active.
`lost`	Returns spam backlinks that were previously detected but are no longer available.
`all`	Returns both live and lost spam backlinks.

Response Example

{
"engine": "Vebapi v8",
"node": "master",
"provider": "vebapi.com",
"request": {
    "target": "vebapi.com",
    "mode": "as_is",
    "backlinks_status_type": "live",
    "limit": 100,
    "offset": 0,
    "include_subdomains": true,
    "exclude_internal_backlinks": true,
    "include_indirect_links": true,
    "min_spam_score": 30
},
"counts": {
    "backlinks": {
        "total": 161,
        "returned": 100,
        "doFollow": 95,
        "fromHomePage": 0,
        "toHomePage": 100,
        "text": 100,
        "image": 0,
        "redirect": 0,
        "new": 4,
        "lost": 0,
        "broken": 0
    },
    "domains": {
        "total": 6,
        "doFollow": 1,
        "fromHomePage": 0,
        "toHomePage": 6
    }
},
"backlinks": [
    {
        "url_from": "https://urls-shortener.eu/share/105814",
        "url_to": "https://vebapi.com/",
        "domain_from": "urls-shortener.eu",
        "domain_to": "vebapi.com",
        "title": "URL Shared",
        "anchor": "vebapi.com",
        "alt": "",
        "nofollow": true,
        "image": false,
        "image_source": "",
        "link_type": "anchor",
        "inlink_rank": 0,
        "domain_inlink_rank": 45,
        "spam_score": 50,
        "country": "DE",
        "tld_from": "eu",
        "is_new": true,
        "is_lost": false,
        "is_broken": false,
        "links_count": 1,
        "first_seen": "2026-06-21",
        "last_visited": "2026-06-21"
    }
]
```

}

Response Fields

General Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`engine`	string	The VebAPI processing engine used for the request.
`node`	string	The infrastructure node that processed the request.
`provider`	string	The API data provider.
`request`	object	The parameters and filters applied to the request.
`counts`	object	Aggregated backlink and referring-domain statistics.
`backlinks`	array	The list of spam backlinks matching the selected filters.

Backlink Count Fields

Field	Description
`total`	Total number of backlinks matching the spam score and request filters.
`returned`	Number of backlinks returned in the current response.
`doFollow`	Number of backlinks that can pass link equity.
`fromHomePage`	Number of backlinks found on referring-domain homepages.
`toHomePage`	Number of backlinks pointing to the target homepage.
`text`	Number of text-based backlinks.
`image`	Number of image-based backlinks.
`redirect`	Number of backlinks reaching the target through redirects.
`new`	Number of recently discovered backlinks.
`lost`	Number of backlinks that are no longer available.
`broken`	Number of backlinks associated with broken pages or destinations.

Referring Domain Count Fields

Field	Description
`total`	Total number of unique referring domains containing matching spam backlinks.
`doFollow`	Number of referring domains providing at least one dofollow backlink.
`fromHomePage`	Number of referring domains linking from their homepage.
`toHomePage`	Number of referring domains linking to the target homepage.

Individual Backlink Fields

Field	Type	Description
`url_from`	string	The referring page containing the backlink.
`url_to`	string	The destination URL receiving the backlink.
`domain_from`	string	The referring domain.
`domain_to`	string	The destination domain.
`title`	string	The title of the referring page.
`anchor`	string	The visible anchor text used for the backlink.
`alt`	string	The alternative text associated with an image backlink.
`nofollow`	boolean	Indicates whether the backlink contains a nofollow-related attribute.
`image`	boolean	Indicates whether the backlink is attached to an image.
`image_source`	string	The source URL of the linked image when available.
`link_type`	string	The detected backlink type, such as anchor, image, redirect, or canonical.
`inlink_rank`	integer	A link-level authority or importance score for the referring page.
`domain_inlink_rank`	integer	An authority or importance score for the referring domain.
`spam_score`	integer	The backlink spam score from 1 to 100. Higher values indicate stronger spam signals.
`country`	string	The detected country associated with the referring domain or page.
`tld_from`	string	The top-level domain of the referring website.
`is_new`	boolean	Indicates whether the backlink was recently discovered.
`is_lost`	boolean	Indicates whether the backlink is no longer available.
`is_broken`	boolean	Indicates whether the referring page or destination is broken.
`links_count`	integer	The number of matching links found on the referring page.
`first_seen`	date	The date the backlink was first discovered.
`last_visited`	date	The most recent date the referring page was checked.

Pagination

Use the limit and offset parameters to process large backlink profiles.

First 100 Spam Backlinks

GET https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=vebapi.com&limit=100&offset=0

Next 100 Spam Backlinks

GET https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=vebapi.com&limit=100&offset=100

Third Page of Results

GET https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=vebapi.com&limit=100&offset=200

Common Use Cases

Build a toxic backlink checker.
Create an automated backlink audit platform.
Detect suspicious links pointing to client websites.
Monitor newly discovered spam backlinks.
Identify potentially harmful referring domains.
Prepare backlink lists for manual disavow review.
Add spam score data to SEO reporting dashboards.
Track lost and live spam backlinks.
Analyse suspicious anchor-text patterns.
Monitor backlinks from low-quality link networks.
Build domain risk assessment tools.
Compare backlink quality across multiple websites.

Example: Find High-Risk Spam Backlinks

The following request returns only backlinks with a spam score of 70 or higher:

curl -X GET "https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=example.com&min_spam_score=70&limit=100" \
```

-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" 
-H "Content-Type: application/json"

Example: Find Lost Spam Backlinks

curl -X GET "https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=example.com&backlinks_status_type=lost&min_spam_score=30" \
```

-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" 
-H "Content-Type: application/json"

Example: Check an Exact URL

curl -X GET "https://vebapi.com/api/backlinks/spam?target=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fpricing&limit=100" \
```

-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" 
-H "Content-Type: application/json"

How to Interpret Spam Backlink Data

A backlink with a high spam score may contain signals commonly associated with low-quality or manipulative linking practices. However, a high spam score does not automatically mean that a backlink should be removed or disavowed.

Before taking action, review the following information:

The backlink spam score.
The authority of the referring page and domain.
The relevance of the referring website.
The backlink anchor text.
Whether the backlink is dofollow or nofollow.
The type and placement of the link.
Whether the referring page appears autogenerated or manipulated.
Whether similar backlinks appear across a link network.
The backlink's first-seen and last-visited dates.

Why Use the VebAPI Spam Backlinks API?

VebAPI provides a developer-friendly way to retrieve suspicious backlink data without building and maintaining a large-scale web crawler, backlink index, link graph, and spam analysis infrastructure.

12 billion backlinks in the database.
Backlink data refreshed every day.
99.9% service availability.
Coverage across approximately 95% of domains.
Configurable spam score filtering.
Support for domains, subdomains, and exact URLs.
Live, lost, and combined backlink status filtering.
Detailed backlink and referring-domain metrics.
Simple REST API integration.
Pagination support for large backlink profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Find Spam Backlinks API?

The Find Spam Backlinks API is a REST API that identifies backlinks with spam scores above a selected threshold. It returns link-level and domain-level information that can be used for backlink audits, toxic link monitoring, SEO tools, and website risk analysis.

Can the API find toxic backlinks?

The API can identify backlinks with elevated spam signals. These results can help you locate potentially toxic or suspicious backlinks, but each backlink should be reviewed before it is removed or submitted to a disavow file.

What is the default minimum spam score?

The default min_spam_score is 30. This means the API returns backlinks with a spam score of 30 or higher unless another value is provided.

What spam score range is supported?

The supported spam score range is from 1 to 100. Higher scores indicate stronger detected spam signals.

Can I check spam backlinks for a specific page?

Yes. The target parameter accepts a root domain, subdomain, or exact URL.

Can I find lost spam backlinks?

Yes. Set backlinks_status_type to lost to return spam backlinks that were previously detected but are no longer active.

Can I include backlinks pointing to subdomains?

Yes. The include_subdomains parameter is enabled by default.

Does the API exclude internal backlinks?

Yes. Internal backlinks are excluded by default when exclude_internal_backlinks is set to true.

Does the API include redirected or canonical backlinks?

Yes. Indirect links are included by default when include_indirect_links is enabled.

How frequently is the backlink database updated?

The VebAPI backlink database is updated every day.

How large is the VebAPI backlink database?

The VebAPI infrastructure contains approximately 12 billion backlink records.

What is the maximum number of backlinks per request?

The API can return up to 1,000 backlinks per request. Use the offset parameter to retrieve additional pages.

Can I automatically generate a disavow file using this API?

The API can provide a list of suspicious backlinks and referring domains for manual review. Automatically disavowing links based only on spam score is not recommended because legitimate websites may sometimes trigger spam signals.

Find Spam Backlinks

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