CollectionSpace APIs

Owned by Jessi Weithman
Apr 18, 2024
2 min read

CollectionSpace offers several application programming interfaces (APIs). You can use these APIs to:

  • Write your own scripts or programs to create, update, read, list and delete data within a CollectionSpace system.
  • Integrate other systems with CollectionSpace.
  • Write code that extends CollectionSpace's capabilities.

Services Layer REST API

Your own scripts and programs can create, update, read, list and delete data in a CollectionSpace system, as well as integrate other systems with CollectionSpace, via its Services layer's REST API.

As a starting point, exploring this API's read and list requests can be as simple as entering various URLs into your web browser, and entering your username and password if prompted. You can also:

  • Make ad hoc requests [via a command-line tool such as cURL as a Client to CollectionSpace Services, or via a REST client add-on for your web browser
  • Write your own programs or scripts, or even your own entire front-end applications that use this API to interact with the data in a CollectionSpace system

An excellent starting place for learning more about this REST API is the overview document, Common Services REST API documentation.

Services Layer Java API (Advanced)

The CollectionSpace Services Layer is written in Java. You can view the Javadoc documentation for its internal Java API.

You can call existing code using this API if you wish to:

  • Write custom code to perform batch operations.
  • Write code to extend CollectionSpace's fundamental capabilities.

In order to use the Services layer's Java API, you can either use the Java programming language, or any other programming or scripting language that can call Java APIs.

If you write code of this type, please consider offering this code to the community as a code contribution.


See Also