How to Find LinkedIn URNs for Profiles, Posts, and Comments

LinkdAPI is not just an endpoint-based service — it's a structured data layer built on top of LinkedIn. To use it effectively and efficiently, it’s essential to understand the core flow and philosophy behind how we designed it.

📌 What Is a URN and Why Is It Important?

Most of our endpoints accept a URN — a unique identifier assigned by LinkedIn to each profile, post, or comment. Think of it as the most precise and reliable key to access any data on LinkedIn.

While we do allow username-based access for some endpoints (like profile lookups), we strongly encourage the use of URNs as the primary identifier. URNs are more consistent and future-proof.

🔍 How to Get a User’s URN

You can retrieve the URN of a LinkedIn user by sending a request to the following endpoint using their public LinkedIn username:

https://linkdapi.com/api/v1/profile/overview?username=ryanroslansky

The response will look something like this:

{
  "success": true,
  "statusCode": 200,
  "message": "Data retrieved successfully",
  "data": {
    ...
    "urn": "ACoAAAAKXBwBikfbNJww68eYvcu2dqDYJhHbp4g",
    ...
  }
}

Extract the value of the urn key and use it in any endpoint that requires a profile URN.

📝 Getting a Post URN

Post URNs can be derived directly from the post URL. For example, in the following LinkedIn URL:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7353638537595932672

The URN is simply:

7353638537595932672

You can now pass this URN to any post-related endpoint, such as /api/v1/posts/info.

💬 Comment URNs – A Bit More Complex

Comment URNs come from LinkedIn comment URLs. When you copy the link to a comment (via the three dots menu), you’ll get something like this after URL decoding:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7356579210234150912?commentUrn=urn:li:comment:(activity:7356579210234150912,7356603887497150465)

From this, extract the following as the URN:

7356579210234150912,7356603887497150465

This URN should be passed to any comment-related endpoint, such as /api/v1/comments/likes.

⚠️ Important Notes About Comments and Likes

• If you call /api/v1/comments/likes on a comment that has zero likes, you will receive the following response and still be charged for the request:

{
  "success": false,
  "statusCode": 200,
  "message": "the data cannot be displayed or it doesn't exist, Make sure the URN/username is correct and exists",
  "errors": null,
  "data": null
}

To avoid this, make sure the comment has at least one like before querying likes data.

Getting a Company ID

A Company ID is a unique identifier for a LinkedIn Company Page. You can retrieve it in two primary ways:

1. Using the Name Lookup Endpoint

If you have the company's name or LinkedIn vanity URL (e.g., "linkedin" for linkedin.com/company/linkedin), use the lookup endpoint:

GET api/v1/companies/name-lookup?name=google

The response will contain the company's URN:

{
  "success": true,
  "statusCode": 200,
  "message": "Data retrieved successfully",
  "errors": null,
  "data": {
    "companies": [
    ...
      {
        "id": "1337",
        "type": "COMPANY",
        "displayName": "LinkedIn"
      },
      ...
    ],
    "query": "linkedin"
  }
}

1337 is the Company Id here

2. From the Company Info Endpoint

GET /api/v1/companies/company/info?name=google

{
  "success": true,
  "statusCode": 200,
  "message": "Data retrieved successfully",
  "errors": null,
  "data": {
    ...
    "id": "1441",
    ...
  }
}

1441 is the Company Id here

Getting a Job ID

Job IDs can be derived directly from a job posting's URL or found via search.

1. From the Job URL

LinkedIn job URLs typically contain the Job ID. For example, from these URLs:

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4218054452
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/collections/recommended/?currentJobId=4218054452

The Job ID is simply: 4218054452

2. From the Job Search Endpoint

When you use the job search endpoint, the results will return a list of jobs, each with its unique ID.

GET /api/v1/jobs/search?keyword=nodejs

The response will include an array of job objects, each containing an id or jobId field. Use this ID for endpoints like /api/v1/jobs/detail.

How to Get a Geo ID (Location URN)

A Geo ID is a URN representing a specific geographic location (e.g., a country, region, or city). It's crucial for location-based searches.

1. From a Search URL

When you perform a people search on LinkedIn and filter by location, the geoUrn parameter in the URL contains the ID.

https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?geoUrn=[90009496]&keywords=nodejs

The Geo ID, in this case, is: 90009496

2. Using the Geo Name Lookup Endpoint

To find the Geo ID for a location name (e.g., Washington), use the dedicated lookup endpoint:

GET /api/v1/geos/name-lookup?query=Washington

{
  "success": true,
  "statusCode": 200,
  "message": "Data retrieved successfully",
  "errors": null,
  "data": {
    "geoIds": [
      ...
      {
        "id": "104383890",
        "type": "GEO",
        "displayName": "Washington, District of Columbia, United States"
      },
      ...
    ],
    "query": "Washington"
  }
}

The response will provide the correct Geo ID to use in your requests.

Getting Title and Skills IDs

Professional titles and skills also have unique identifiers. These are essential for precise filtering in people search and analytics.

Using the Title & Skills Lookup Endpoint

GET /api/v1/title-skills-lookup?query=software

{
  "success": true,
  "statusCode": 200,
  "message": "Data retrieved successfully",
  "errors": null,
  "data": {
    "results": [
      ...
      {
        "id": "242",
        "type": "SKILL",
        "displayName": "Software"
      },
      ...
    ],
    "query": "software"
  }
}

The response will provide the correct IDs to use in your requests.

🚀 The LinkdAPI Philosophy

We built LinkdAPI with the belief that API consumption should be:

• Modular – Each endpoint serves a specific function.
• Reliable – URNs provide a consistent, unchanging way to access data.
• Transparent – We return structured JSON with clear success/failure messages.
• Scalable – Whether you're testing or building a SaaS tool, the structure works the same way.

By following the URN-centric design, you’ll unlock the full potential of our API with fewer errors and better performance.

📚 Next Steps

• Start by getting the URN using a username query.
• Use that URN across other endpoints to retrieve advanced data.
• Respect rate limits and response warnings — and always test with known active content (like comments with likes).

Have questions or want to suggest new features? Contact our support at [email protected] we’re building this with developers like you in mind.