---
title: "How do I search for assets via the API?"
date: "2025-01-09T14:30:38+00:00"
summary: "Discover how to efficiently search for assets using the Widen Collective API. Learn about search shortcuts, metadata field queries, and display keys to enhance your asset management workflow."
image:
type: "page"
url: "/acquia-dam/how-do-i-search-assets-api"
id: "a3d87ace-331d-475c-882f-bf0ccca6b8ae"
---

Most searches that can be done in the DAM can also be done as a search through the REST API. For simple searches, use this string to search for assets with the [Asset Search endpoint](https://docs.widenv2.apiary.io/#reference/assets/assets/list-by-search-query):  
 

https://api.widencollective.com/v2/assets/search?query={search-string}

  
For searches of asset groups, categories, filenames, and tags, you can use [search shortcuts](How-do-I-search-for-assets) to create the search string, such as:   
 

https://api.widencollective.com/v2/assets/search?query=fn:bike

  
You can have multiple queries in your search string. For example, to search for all assets with category of “sales” and “event” in the filename, the search is:   
 

cat:sales fn:event

  
Your resulting string would be:   
  
https://api.widencollective.com/v2/assets/search?query=cat%3Asales%20fn%3Aevent  
 

Use display keys for metadata fields 
-------------------------------------

For searches of metadata fields, we recommend that you don’t use search shortcuts. Metadata field display names can change and break the shortcut and the search string.   
  
Instead, use the field display key. Each metadata field has a unique display key that never changes, even if you edit the display name for the field. Using it will ensure the integration always references the correct metadata field.   
  
Display keys are not viewable in the DAM user interface. However, you can use a tool like Postman and the [Viewable Metadata Fields endpoint](https://widenv2.docs.apiary.io/#reference/metadata/fields/viewable) to make an API call that’ll expose the keys for your metadata fields.   
  

![exposed key](https://acquia.widen.net/content/81cdc67b-02cc-42b5-91ed-dd118f6a480e/web/ka0Pb0000006qoj00N6g00000WDN1a0EMPb000005uCoQ.png)

  
  
In this example, your query could look like this:   
  
https://api.widencollective.com/v2/assets/search?query=assetinfo%3Aphoto