Building a Truck API with The Product API: A Complete Guide

Create a specialized Truck Product API with engine specifications, payload capacity, towing capacity, and vehicle features. Perfect for truck marketplaces and automotive retailers.

Introduction to Trucks

Trucks come in many types and configurations, from pickup trucks to semi-trucks, box trucks to dump trucks. Finding the right truck with the right specifications can be challenging. Whether you're a contractor needing a work truck, a business owner seeking a commercial vehicle, or a developer building an automotive marketplace, having structured truck product data is crucial.

Imagine being able to search for trucks and instantly get detailed information about each vehicle - from engine specifications and payload capacity to towing capacity and cab configuration, from drivetrain to fuel economy. This is exactly what a specialized Truck Product API can provide.

What Makes a Truck API Special?

A Truck Product API goes beyond basic product listings. It understands the unique characteristics that matter to truck buyers:

Truck Type: Pickup, semi, box truck, dump truck, and more
Engine: Type, size, horsepower, and torque
Performance: Payload capacity, towing capacity, and fuel economy
Configuration: Cab type, bed length, and seating capacity
Drivetrain: 2WD, 4WD, AWD, or RWD
Transmission: Manual or automatic
Utility: Bed features, towing packages, and work-ready options

With this structured data, you can build powerful features like filtering by truck type, comparing payload capacities, or recommending trucks based on work requirements.

Try It Out: Search for Trucks

Use the search bar below to search for trucks. Try queries like "Ford F-150 pickup truck", "Ram 2500 diesel", or "Chevrolet Silverado crew cab". The results will include detailed specifications automatically extracted from product information across the web.

Try the Truck API

Search for trucks and see detailed specifications automatically extracted from product information.

How It Works: Technical Implementation

Now that you've seen the API in action, let's dive into how it's implemented. This specialized Truck API is built on top of The Product API which is an AI-based product search API that works with any product and any type of query. It responds with structured JSON and supports custom structured responses, allowing you to build specialized APIs for any product category.

The Product API's powerful custom_data_schema feature allows you to define additional structured fields specific to your product category, enabling you to create category-specific APIs like this Truck API. For more details on how the API works, see the full documentation.

Understanding APIs for Product Data

An API (Application Programming Interface) enables different software applications to communicate. For product data:

Input: You send a search query (e.g., "truck Ford F-150")
Processing: The API searches across multiple sources and uses AI to extract relevant information
Output: You receive structured product data in JSON format

The flexibility of a product API means you can customize it for specific categories by defining additional data fields through JSON Schema.

Creating a Truck-Specific JSON Schema to pass as custom_data_schema of search request

Here's the JSON Schema we use for truck products:

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "truck_type": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["pickup", "semi", "box_truck", "dump_truck", "tow_truck", "flatbed", "refrigerated", "cement"],
      "description": "Type of truck"
    },
    "engine_type": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["gasoline", "diesel", "electric", "hybrid"],
      "description": "Engine fuel type"
    },
    "engine_size": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Engine displacement in liters or cubic inches"
    },
    "horsepower": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Engine horsepower"
    },
    "torque": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Engine torque in lb-ft or Nm"
    },
    "transmission": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["manual", "automatic", "cvt"],
      "description": "Transmission type"
    },
    "drivetrain": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["2wd", "4wd", "awd", "rwd"],
      "description": "Drivetrain configuration"
    },
    "payload_capacity": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Payload capacity in pounds or kilograms"
    },
    "towing_capacity": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Towing capacity in pounds or kilograms"
    },
    "bed_length": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Bed length in feet or meters (for pickup trucks)"
    },
    "cab_type": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["regular", "extended", "crew", "quad"],
      "description": "Cab configuration (for pickup trucks)"
    },
    "seating_capacity": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Number of seats"
    },
    "fuel_capacity": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Fuel tank capacity in gallons or liters"
    },
    "mpg": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Fuel economy in miles per gallon"
    },
    "price_range": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Price range category"
    }
  },
  "required": ["truck_type", "engine_type", "drivetrain"]
}

Using the Category Prefix

When searching for trucks, we prefix the search query with "truck" to help the AI understand the context and return more relevant results.

Example Search Queries:

truck Ford F-150 pickup
truck Ram 2500 diesel
truck Chevrolet Silverado crew cab
truck Toyota Tundra

The prefix "truck" ensures the API understands you're looking specifically for trucks and not other products.

Complete Example: Making a Request

Here's how to make a request to The Product API with a truck-specific schema. For complete API reference including authentication, endpoints, and all parameters, see the documentation:

const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/api?search=truck%20Ford%20F-150&with_image=true', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    custom_data_schema: {
      type: "object",
      properties: {
        truck_type: {
          type: "string",
          enum: ["pickup", "semi", "box_truck", "dump_truck", "tow_truck", "flatbed", "refrigerated", "cement"],
          description: "Type of truck"
        },
        engine_type: {
          type: "string",
          enum: ["gasoline", "diesel", "electric", "hybrid"],
          description: "Engine fuel type"
        },
        engine_size: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Engine displacement"
        },
        horsepower: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Engine horsepower"
        },
        torque: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Engine torque"
        },
        transmission: {
          type: "string",
          enum: ["manual", "automatic", "cvt"],
          description: "Transmission type"
        },
        drivetrain: {
          type: "string",
          enum: ["2wd", "4wd", "awd", "rwd"],
          description: "Drivetrain configuration"
        },
        payload_capacity: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Payload capacity"
        },
        towing_capacity: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Towing capacity"
        },
        bed_length: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Bed length"
        },
        cab_type: {
          type: "string",
          enum: ["regular", "extended", "crew", "quad"],
          description: "Cab configuration"
        },
        seating_capacity: {
          type: "number",
          description: "Number of seats"
        },
        fuel_capacity: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Fuel tank capacity"
        },
        mpg: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Fuel economy in miles per gallon"
        },
        price_range: {
          type: "string",
          description: "Price range category"
        }
      },
      required: ["truck_type", "engine_type", "drivetrain"]
    }
  })
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.products);

Expected Response

The API will return products with standard fields plus your custom custom_data field:

{
  "status": "success",
  "products": [
    {
      "name": "Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew",
      "description": "The Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew is a versatile pickup truck...",
      "brand": "Ford",
      "image": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
      "custom_data": {
        "truck_type": "pickup",
        "engine_type": "gasoline",
        "engine_size": "3.5L V6",
        "horsepower": "400 hp",
        "torque": "500 lb-ft",
        "transmission": "automatic",
        "drivetrain": "4wd",
        "payload_capacity": "2,020 lbs",
        "towing_capacity": "13,200 lbs",
        "bed_length": "5.5 feet",
        "cab_type": "crew",
        "seating_capacity": 5,
        "fuel_capacity": "36 gallons",
        "mpg": "20 city / 24 highway",
        "price_range": "mid-range"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Conclusion

By combining the flexible Product API with a truck-specific JSON Schema, you can create a powerful, specialized API for truck products. The key is:

Define your schema based on what truck data matters to your application
Use category prefixes in search queries for better context
Leverage the custom_data field to build rich, category-specific features

The same approach works for any product category - you just need to define the right schema for your needs!

Ready to get started? Create your own product API on The Product API and start building your own category-specific APIs today!

Ready to build your own category-specific API? Check out our other API preset guides for scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, and more!