AI OCR & Extraction API docs

Extract text from images and scanned documents using Tesseract OCR. Supports 100+ languages, table detection, and structured output.

Authentication

All AI OCR & Extraction API requests authenticate via two headers. Get your API key from your RapidAPI dashboard after subscribing on the Basic (free) tier or higher.

X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY
X-RapidAPI-Host: ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com

Base URL

https://ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com

Endpoints

POST
/extract

Extract text from image URL or upload

POST
/extract/structured

Extract with bounding boxes

GET
/languages

List supported languages

Code Examples

Python

import requests

url = "https://ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com/extract"
headers = {
    "X-RapidAPI-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "X-RapidAPI-Host": "ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com",
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers)
print(response.json())

JavaScript

const response = await fetch(
  "https://ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com/extract",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "X-RapidAPI-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
      "X-RapidAPI-Host": "ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com"
    }
  }
);
const data = await response.json();

cURL

curl -X POST "https://ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com/extract" \
  -H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "X-RapidAPI-Host: ai-ocr-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com"

Response Format

All endpoints return JSON in this consistent envelope:

{
  "status": "ok",
  "data": { /* endpoint-specific payload */ },
  "meta": {
    "cached": false,
    "latency_ms": 142,
    "request_id": "req_abc123"
  },
  "timestamp": "2026-05-21T12:00:00Z"
}

Error Codes

HTTPCodeMeaning
400BAD_REQUESTMissing or invalid parameter
401UNAUTHORIZEDInvalid or missing API key
403FORBIDDENYour plan doesn't include this endpoint
429RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDEDToo many requests — back off and retry
500INTERNAL_ERRORSomething went wrong on our side
503UPSTREAM_UNAVAILABLEA third-party data source is down

Common Use Cases

Receipt scanning
Document digitization
License plate reading
Business card extraction
Invoice processing
Prescription label reading
Handwritten note digitization
Passport data extraction
Insurance claim document OCR
Bank check reading
Menu digitization
Whiteboard capture to text
Construction blueprint text extraction
Shipping label parsing
Tax form data extraction
Utility bill parsing
Medical lab report digitization
Warehouse label scanning
Real estate document extraction
Exam paper grading automation

Related APIs

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