Ad history and the archive

Ad libraries show what runs now. AdLib records every ad the first time it sees it and every change after, so you can ask what ran last month, also after the platform hides it.

One ad over time

curl "https://api.adlibapi.com/v1/ads/meta:1187430977361020/history" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ADLIB_API_KEY"

• versions: each change of the creative (text, media, CTA, landing page) with valid_from and valid_to.
• status_periods: when the ad was active, as start and stop intervals.
• events: discovered, started, stopped and changed.
• reach: EU reach per measurement day for Meta ads shown in the EU. See EU reach over time.

An advertiser over time

• GET /v1/advertisers/{id}/timeline: when which ads started and stopped, newest first, with from and to.
• GET /v1/advertisers/{id}/changes?since=2026-10-20: new, stopped and changed ads since a point in time, for a weekly digest without webhooks.
• GET /v1/advertisers/{id}/stats: totals, formats, countries, ads first shown per week for the last 12 weeks, run-length distribution and the longest-running ads.

Each timeline or change event costs 1 credit.

Search the archive

Add source=history to a search to query our archive instead of the live libraries. It returns ads the platforms no longer show, and it can sort by run length:

curl "https://api.adlibapi.com/v1/search?advertiser=meta:15087023444&source=history&sort=days_running" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ADLIB_API_KEY"

How far back

The archive holds everything since we first saw an advertiser. Ads are recorded when our crawlers or your requests see them, and history cannot be filled in for ads a platform had already removed. Put advertisers on a watchlist to make sure every ad is recorded from now on.

Plans see different depths: Free 90 days, Starter 12 months, Growth and above the full archive. Archived ads last shown more than 12 months ago cost double credits.