> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brightdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# People search
> Find people with Business Search. [POST /search/people](/api-reference/business-search/search-people) searches by title, current company, location and followers, in JSON or plain language.
This page shows the shape `query` takes in each mode, the fields a people search can filter on with the operator each accepts and what a request looks like.
People requests go to [`POST /search/people`](/api-reference/business-search/search-people). For companies, see [Company search](/products/business-search/company-search).
## Writing queries
The shape of `query` follows the [search mode](/products/business-search/introduction#search-modes):
* **Ludicrous** takes a JSON object of conditions on the [searchable fields](#searchable-fields), combined with `and`, `or` and `not`. Operators and value shapes are in [Business Search query syntax](/products/business-search/query-syntax).
* **Instant** and **Smart** take a plain-language sentence of up to 200 characters. Business Search turns the sentence into one structured query on the same fields. A sentence that asks for a job title is ranked on the title, role and about text together. A sentence that reads like a recruiting brief, with a role, an industry and a skill, is scored on the `role`, `company` and `skill` field groups independently.
## Searchable fields
The operator a field accepts depends on the field's type. Text fields accept only the `text` operator. Typed fields, such as strings and integers, accept `equals`, `in` and `range`. Sending `equals` to a text field returns HTTP 400.
| Field | Type | Operators | Notes |
| -------------------------- | ------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `current_title` | text | `text` | Use `mode: "all"` to require every word |
| `all_text` | text | `text` | Title, role and about together |
| `name` | text | `text` | |
| `about` | text | `text` | |
| `location` | text | `text` | Descriptive location string |
| `current_company_name` | text | `text` | |
| `current_company_industry` | text | `text` | |
| `past_job_titles` | text | `text` | |
| `role`, `company`, `skill` | text | `text` | Each searches a group of fields: `role` covers `current_title`, `past_job_titles` and `about`; `company` covers `current_company_industry`, `specialties`, `description`, `slogan` and `name`; `skill` covers `about` and `certification_names` |
| `city` | string | `equals`, `in` | Exact city name |
| `country_code` | string | `equals`, `in` | ISO 3166 alpha-2 code such as `US` or `GB` |
| `followers` | integer | `range` | |
Location and employer fields can be missing from individual profiles, and a missing value is not evidence that the fact is false: a profile with no `current_company_name` publishes no employer. Handle absent or null values without failing the whole record, and avoid filters that silently drop every profile where an optional field is blank.
## Example request
A Ludicrous request finds US profiles whose current title includes both `product` and `manager`, with at least 1,000 followers, and names five output fields:
**Sample request**
```bash cURL highlight={5} theme={null}
curl --request POST "https://api.brightdata.com/search/people" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"mode": "ludicrous",
"query": {
"and": [
{ "text": { "current_title": { "value": "product manager", "mode": "all" } } },
{ "equals": { "country_code": "US" } },
{ "range": { "followers": { ">=": 1000 } } }
]
},
"offset": 0,
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
}'
```
```python Python highlight={11} theme={null}
import os
import requests
response = requests.post(
"https://api.brightdata.com/search/people",
headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY']}",
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
json={
"mode": "ludicrous",
"query": {
"and": [
{ "text": { "current_title": { "value": "product manager", "mode": "all" } } },
{ "equals": { "country_code": "US" } },
{ "range": { "followers": { ">=": 1000 } } }
]
},
"offset": 0,
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
},
)
print(response.text)
```
```javascript Node.js highlight={8} theme={null}
const response = await fetch("https://api.brightdata.com/search/people", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"mode": "ludicrous",
"query": {
"and": [
{ "text": { "current_title": { "value": "product manager", "mode": "all" } } },
{ "equals": { "country_code": "US" } },
{ "range": { "followers": { ">=": 1000 } } }
]
},
"offset": 0,
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
}),
});
console.log(await response.text());
```
**Sample response**
The first of the three returned records:
```json theme={null}
{
"req_id": "rbdc10e0215c24a9498a4350df6cc10aa",
"source": "linkedin_people",
"meta": {
"coverage_percent": 100,
"matched": 32979,
"offset": 0,
"limit": 3
},
"documents": [
{
"bright_id": "889e0def2779fa14d5c357916557c70b39211ca82bb0ccd868e8cd65a1e8d100",
"data": {
"current_title": "Product Manager",
"country_code": "US",
"followers": 33814,
"connections": 500
}
}
]
}
```
`mode: "all"` inside the `text` condition requires every search word to match. The words do not need to form an exact phrase, so a title of "Senior Manager, Product" still matches. Punctuation between the words does not prevent a match, word order does not matter and extra words in the title are allowed.
An Instant request asks for US product managers in one sentence:
**Sample request**
```bash cURL highlight={5} theme={null}
curl --request POST "https://api.brightdata.com/search/people" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"mode": "instant",
"query": "Product managers in the United States",
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
}'
```
```python Python highlight={11} theme={null}
import os
import requests
response = requests.post(
"https://api.brightdata.com/search/people",
headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY']}",
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
json={
"mode": "instant",
"query": "Product managers in the United States",
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
},
)
print(response.text)
```
```javascript Node.js highlight={8} theme={null}
const response = await fetch("https://api.brightdata.com/search/people", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"mode": "instant",
"query": "Product managers in the United States",
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
}),
});
console.log(await response.text());
```
**Sample response**
The first of the three returned records:
```json theme={null}
{
"req_id": "r73078fe6b74e4231a96e86e869dcb6ab",
"source": "linkedin_people",
"meta": {
"coverage_percent": 16,
"matched": 1357049,
"offset": 0,
"limit": 3
},
"documents": [
{
"bright_id": "36fe273b100b7fe8340c6309c5dbe8b5918c4417645381e7d4b7886ddfafc942",
"data": {
"current_title": "Production Manager",
"current_company_industry": "Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing",
"country_code": "US",
"followers": 7,
"connections": 7
}
}
]
}
```
A Smart request sends the same sentence and ranks the candidates by how well each record answers it:
**Sample request**
```bash cURL highlight={5} theme={null}
curl --request POST "https://api.brightdata.com/search/people" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"mode": "smart",
"query": "Product managers in the United States",
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
}'
```
```python Python highlight={11} theme={null}
import os
import requests
response = requests.post(
"https://api.brightdata.com/search/people",
headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY']}",
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
json={
"mode": "smart",
"query": "Product managers in the United States",
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
},
)
print(response.text)
```
```javascript Node.js highlight={8} theme={null}
const response = await fetch("https://api.brightdata.com/search/people", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"mode": "smart",
"query": "Product managers in the United States",
"limit": 3,
"view": { "fields": ["current_title", "current_company_industry", "country_code", "followers", "connections"] }
}),
});
console.log(await response.text());
```
**Sample response**
The first of the three returned records:
```json theme={null}
{
"req_id": "r8c12ef1a926c41f5b6aaa48799c8651e",
"source": "linkedin_people",
"meta": {
"coverage_percent": 16,
"matched": 1361494,
"offset": 0,
"limit": 3
},
"documents": [
{
"bright_id": "eecc7657488dfdf371f4e91c4a9e1d0e794ecdbe59b98b5b799ae6bd674156a4",
"data": {
"current_title": "Product Manager",
"current_company_industry": "Software Development",
"country_code": "US",
"followers": 361,
"connections": 358
}
}
]
}
```
For the fields each view returns and how `view` relates to `query`, see [Business Search field views](/products/business-search/select-fields).