The Bubble API
The Data API allows other systems to search for, read, create, modify and delete data in your application’s database via a RESTful interface.
This is the short-form technical reference entry describing the Bubble API. If you are looking for more in-depth and long-form articles on how the Bubble API works, you may be interested in checking the Bubble API manual.
Bubble offers a Postman collection, a tool for viewing and testing API calls. This collection is specifically designed to help developers understand and experiment with the various API functionalities available in Bubble.
External page: Bubble Postman collection
Sections
Sending data
Frequently, you want to send data/parameters with the calls. They can either be in the URL in a stringified, URL-encoded way, usually for GET, or in the body of the request, usually for POST. When you send data with a request, Bubble validates it and makes sure it has the correct format. Here are four particular cases:
1) Geographic addresses: This data should be sent as a string '33 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222,' and Bubble will use the Google Map API to encode it as an address with a latitude and longitude. You can also send them as an object.
{
address: String
lat: Number
lng: Number
}
where latitude and longitude or address is mandatory.
2) Dates: Send a date as a string or timestamp. For example, 'Wed Jan 13 2016,' '01/13/2016,' 'Wed Jan 13 2016 16:45:09 GMT-0500 (EST),' or '1453398788637.'
3) Files and Images: When a parameter is a file or image, you have two ways to define the content in the request. You can submit a string, which should be the URL of the file/image hosted on a storage service, or you can provide the raw data and the API call will upload the content to Bubble's hosting services. In the later case, the value provided should be a JSON object as follows:
{
filename: String
contents: Base64-encoded binary data
private: Boolean
attach_to: String
}
where:
– filename is the file name. Optional, but recommended to get the file type.
– contents is the base64-encoded binary data of the file. Required.
– private is a boolean, true/false, that defines whether the file is protected and attached to an object in the database. Optional.
– attach_to is the unique ID of who/which thing owns the file. Required if private is true.
If there is an ambiguity in processing the data sent, Bubble returns a 400 error, 'INVALID_DATA.'
4) Things: If a parameter is a thing, e.g., an entry in the application database, or a list of things, you can send it using the ID of the thing. When such a request is made, the API will retrieve the thing with that ID and validate the type. It should be the type defined at the parameter level for a workflow, for instance. If a thing isn't found or not of the right type, Bubble returns a 400 error, 'INVALID_DATA'.
Bubble API response
Bubble's API generates data in the JSON format. If you use the Workflow API, the Return data from API action permits specification of the data returned by the call. You will find a more detailed description of API response in our Data API request and Returning data fro the workflow API request articles.
Returning a login token
Using a Sign up or Log the user in action in your workflow generates a response that includes a user_id, token, and expires value. These facilitate the authentication of ensuing calls as the user who has just registered or logged in.
Success and error codes
A 200 code, potentially accompanied by some data, signifies the success of calls, whereas unsuccessful calls produce an error code.
Rate limiting
Please see our hard limits article for details on rate-limiting.
API Versions
A new version is introduced when a non backward compatible change is deployed. The current API version of 1.1 was introduced on January 19, 2017.
– Version 1.1: Values are returned as Javascript objects when possible in API responses. In particular, dates are returned as 2016-11-11T19:14:46.517Z instead of a timestamp, and geographic addresses are returned as a JSON object. Introduced on January 19, 2017.
location = {
address: "Les Ferreys, 14130, France"
lat: 49.19959
lng: 0.19707
}
– Version 1.0: The first release. Introduced in January 2016.
You can send values for addresses either as an address string or object, which should be similar to the output format. When submitting, only lat/lng or an address is required.
Other ways to learn
User manual articles
The Bubble manual gives extended information about Bubble's features and how to use them.
Video lessons
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