Skip to main content

Using the Informer API

Informer has a REST API: a way for other programs to talk to Informer without anyone working through a browser. Your program is the client, Informer is the server, and requests are made over HTTP to routes that start with /api.

This section explains how requests and authentication work. For the full list of endpoints, see the API Reference in the Developer docs.

Authenticating​

Every API request must be authenticated. There are two ways to do it:

  • User authentication: pass a User's login (Basic Auth for local users) with the request. This is mainly for quick testing, since it means handling a password in another program; prefer tokens for anything real.
  • Token authentication: generate an API Token in Informer and send it with the request. Tokens are safer because each one can be tracked, restricted, and revoked independently of any password.

Kinds of token​

Tokens can be scoped tightly, which is the point: hand out only the access a given integration needs.

  • Resource-specific tokens: created when a Publisher shares a Dataset or Report ("Create a data access token" or "Generate an External Link"). A token made from one Dataset cannot read another.
  • Query tokens: Ad hoc Query Reports and Datasources offer a "Create a Query token" option for access to just that resource.
  • Full API tokens: not tied to a single resource; created only by a Super User. A full token can be Read Only or Full Access (which effectively makes the holder a Super User, so use it carefully).

Any token can be restricted to a specific host or IP address, so a leaked token is useless from anywhere else. Tokens are created and managed on the API Tokens screen under Administration.

In this section​

ArticleIn one line
Understanding API requestsThe parts of a request: method, host, route, headers, parameters, and payload.
Also available through the REST API
Everything on this page is built on Informer's public REST API, the same one the product uses, so your scripts and integrations can do it too. Developer reference: API Reference.