The REST API basics

#Authentication

This documentation concerns Connector development only.

If you develop an App please consult this documentation instead.

Want to know the differences between an App and Connector? Please consult this documentation.

For security reasons, to access the REST API, you will need to be authenticated. To authenticate your REST API calls, the PIM will provide you a pair of client ID and secret. See here to discover how.

Client IDs allow two things:

  • to ask for a token for a specific API user,
  • to refresh an expired token.

This means that you will also need to create an API user in order to get this token.

Once you get its username and password, together with the client ID and the secret, you will eventually be able to generate a token for the REST API. This is the key to finally access the REST API. See here for more details.

#Client ID/secret generation

Depending on your PIM version, there are different ways to generate these client IDs/secrets:

You don't know your PIM version?
You can find it in the version line of the System/System information page.
If the version looks like a datetime, you use one of our SaaS offers, so please check the Since the PIM v4 paragraph below.

#Since the PIM v4

Since the PIM v4, there is one unique and streamlined way to generate your client ID and secret. See by yourself!

  1. Log into your favorite PIM.
  2. Depending on the version you use, go to the System/Connections menu (before the v6) or the Connect/Connection settings menu.
  3. Click on Create.
  4. Input a label for your connection, ERP for example.
  5. Select a type flow. Don't know what it is? More info here.
  6. Click on Save.

Congrats! You officially created your very first connection to the PIM. 🎉

You can now find the client ID and secret in the Credentials section of the connection you've just created.

Not comfortable with the Connection notion? We explain everything right here!

In case your secret leaked, you can easily revoke it and generate a new one for your connection by clicking on the dedicated icon, on the right side of the secret.

#With a v2.x and 3.x PIM

In 2.x or 3.X, you will need to create what we called an API connection.

  1. Log into your favorite PIM.
  2. Navigate to the System/API connections menu.
  3. Click on Create.
  4. Input a label for your connection, ERP connection for example.
  5. Click on Save.

The PIM automatically generates a client ID and secret, that you will find in the API connections grid.

In case your secret leaked, you can revoke an API connection by clicking on the Revoke button. It is located in the API connections entry you will find under the System menu.
Note that it will totally delete your whole API connection, i.e. you will have to create a new one.

#With a v1.7 PIM

In v1.7, to generate a new client ID and secret, you need to use the following command directly on the PIM server.

php app/console pim:oauth-server:create-client \
        --grant_type="password" \
        --grant_type="refresh_token" \
        --env=prod \
        --label="ERP connection"
    

You will get something like:

A new client has been added:
    client_id: 4gm4rnoizp8gskgkk080ssoo80040g44ksowwgw844k44sc00s
    secret: 5dyvo1z6y34so4ogkgksw88ookoows00cgoc488kcs8wk4c40s
    label: ERP connection
    

You have to give a label to your pair of client id / secret when you create them. This is useful to remember which application you give this pair of credentials to.

#Secret revocation

In case your secret leaked, you can revoke it by using the following command:

php app/console pim:oauth-server:revoke-client the-client-id --env=prod
    

We ask for a confirmation when you revoke a client.

This operation is irreversible. Are you sure you want to revoke this client? (Y/n)
    

If you type Y, the client is then revoked and you will receive this message.

Client with public id 4gm4rnoizp8gskgkk080ssoo80040g44ksowwgw844k44sc00s and secret 5dyvo1z6y34so4ogkgksw88ookoows00cgoc488kcs8wk4c40s has been revoked.
    

#List all API connections

Just run the following command, still on your PIM server.

php app/console pim:oauth-server:list-clients --env=prod
    

You will get this answer.

+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
    | Client id                                          | Secret                                             |  Label            |
    +====================================================+====================================================+===================+
    | 3e2iqilq2ygwk0ccgogkcwco8oosckkkk4gkoc0k4s8s044wss | 44ectenmudus8g88w4wkws84044ckw0k4w4kg0sokoss84oko8 | Print catalog connection |
    | 4gm4rnoizp8gskgkk080ssoo80040g44ksowwgw844k44sc00s | 5dyvo1z6y34so4ogkgksw88ookoows00cgoc488kcs8wk4c40s | ERP connection |
    | 4_5e6kfzmath8gowk0s000kkgc0o44cwgwsockwk0ccss4sw0w | 2nwha9mzk2w4so0cgokwocswoc48s0sg44wgg40kkokgg4w0go | Magento connection |
    +----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
    

#API user creation

You now have a client ID and a secret. But the request to get this token needs a username and a password.

You don't know your PIM version?
You can find it in the version line of the System/System information page.
If the version looks like a datetime, you use one of our SaaS offers, so please check the Since the PIM v4 paragraph.

#Since the PIM v4

Since the PIM v4, this username and password are automatically generated whenever you create a connection in the UI. Depending on the version you use, navigate to the System/Connections menu (before the v6) or the Connect/Connection settings menu, click on your connection and find your username and password in the Credentials section.

You may need to regenerate a password if you haven't saved it anywhere. Indeed, for security reasons, the PIM can only show it to you once, after the connection is created. There is a Regenerate button close to the hidden password if needed. 😉

#With a v1.7, 2.x and 3.x PIM

In previous versions of the PIM, you need to navigate to the System/Users menu in your PIM UI and create a new user. We strongly advise you to create specific API users. Do not re-use UI users. 🙂

#Token generation

You now have a client ID, a secret, a username and a password. The last information needed to use the REST API is the token.

First, you will have to encode the client ID and the secret, in base64, with a : in between.

client_id:secret
    4gm4rnoizp8gskgkk080ssoo80040g44ksowwgw844k44sc00s:5dyvo1z6y34so4ogkgksw88ookoows00cgoc488kcs8wk4c40s
    
    base64 encoded
    NGdtNHJub2l6cDhnc2tna2swODBzc29vODAwNDBnNDRrc293d2d3ODQ0azQ0c2MwMHM6NWR5dm8xejZ5MzRzbzRvZ2tna3N3ODhvb2tvb3dzMDBjZ29jNDg4a2NzOHdrNGM0MHM=
    

To get a valid token, the client application must send the following request:

curl -X POST http://your-host/api/oauth/v1/token \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        -H "Authorization: Basic YOUR_BASE_64_CLIENT_ID_AND_SECRET" \
        -d '{
            "grant_type": "password",
            "username": "your_API_username",
            "password": "its_password"
        }'
    

The content type application/x-www-form-urlencoded is also supported.

If you experience any error, please check the troubleshooting guide.

#Example

Request

curl -X POST http://my-favorite-pim.com/api/oauth/v1/token \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        -H "Authorization: Basic NGdtNHJub2l6cDhnc2tna2swODBzc29vODAwNDBnNDRrc293d2d3ODQ0azQ0c2MwMHM6NWR5dm8xejZ5MzRzbzRvZ2tna3N3ODhvb2tvb3dzMDBjZ29jNDg4a2NzOHdrNGM0MHM=" \
        -d '{
            "grant_type": "password",
            "username": "myERPuser",
            "password": "64bngr78"
        }'
    

Response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
    
    {
        "access_token": "NzFiYTM4ZTEwMjcwZTcyZWIzZTA0NmY3NjE3MTIyMjM1Y2NlMmNlNWEyMTAzY2UzYmY0YWIxYmUzNTkyMDcyNQ",
        "expires_in": 3600,
        "token_type": "bearer",
        "scope": null,
        "refresh_token": "MDk2ZmIwODBkYmE3YjNjZWQ4ZTk2NTk2N2JmNjkyZDQ4NzA3YzhiZDQzMjJjODI5MmQ4ZmYxZjlkZmU1ZDNkMQ"
    }
    

Detail of the information given in the response:

  • access_token must be included in every request to the REST API for the client application to be authorized (see the example below).
  • expires_in is the token lifespan (in seconds). By default, it lasts 1 hour.
  • refresh_token is a special token used only to refresh your access_token after it expired.

#Access a resource

Use the token that you just got for every request to the REST API.

#Example

curl https://demo.akeneo.com/api/rest/v1/categories \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer NzFiYTM4ZTEwMjcwZTcyZWIzZTA0NmY3NjE3MTIyMjM1Y2NlMmNlNWEyMTAzY2UzYmY0YWIxYmUzNTkyMDcyNQ"
    

There are only 2 routes that do not require authentication:

  • the root of the REST API, that lists all the available endpoints. See this section for more info.
  • and of course, the route to get tokens. Pretty logic, isn't it!

#Refresh an expired token

For security reasons, access tokens have a certain lifespan. A client application using an expired token will be unable to request the REST API.

After a token has expired, the client application can ask for a new token by calling:

curl -X POST http://your-host/api/oauth/v1/token \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        -H "Authorization: Basic YOUR_BASE_64_CLIENT_ID_AND_SECRET" \
        -d '{
            "refresh_token" : "REFRESH_TOKEN",
            "grant_type": "refresh_token"
        }'
    

#Example

Request

curl --location --request POST 'http://my-favorite-pim.com/api/oauth/v1/token' \
    -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
    -H 'Authorization: Basic M18xc3duZzU0ZHY2ODB3MG84Z2N3Y3d3ODRzd2tvYzA0NG9jc2c0b2N3azRjYzAwY2swdzozc3VhaHhlODhsaWNvdzAwZzBvODBnY2NnZ2d3OGNza2c0d2NvOHdvb293dzQ4ODBzbw==' \
    -d '{
        "refresh_token" : "OTI5MDE4ZjBiNjUyNWEyOTA5ZWQxNjE0ZDJiZTAzZTIwZjQ5ZDJmMDlhYzk4OTdjNzgzMTVkZDlmNTlmZjY3OQ",
        "grant_type": "refresh_token"
     }'
    

Response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
    
    {
      "access_token": "MjkxYjM0ZGU0OGQzN2MzNmRmOGFkMzgxODdhMDZiNmE1MTI2ZDJmYmM5MTBhZWFiMGY0ZjE3YzJhOTJkOGRlZA",
      "expires_in": 3600,
      "token_type": "bearer",
      "scope": null,
      "refresh_token": "MTU2OWI5NGYwZTU2MThmMjE3MzRmYmIyMjlmYzU5Zjc3ZDhlM2E5YzQyMmIyMDVhOGY2OWQ3MTM0MTMzNmZlYw"
    }
    

The response is the same as when asking for the initial token, except that it contains a new access_token and a new refresh_token. You can then use this access_token for every REST API request you do within an hour.

By default, the refresh token expiration is set at 1209600 seconds (14 days).