REST API
Disclaimer
Most of the current development has gone into making the frontend user-friendly so we currently DO NOT RECOMMEND USING THE API at this state.
Overview
MBDB exposes a JSON based REST API that allows automating data workflows in a programmatic way to accomplish:
- Deposition of records(s)
- Retrieval of record(s)
- Querying the repository
Authentication
Personal access
Published records can be obtained without authentication, however in order to be able use the API for deposition and retrieving record drafts, a personal authentication token is required. See Authentication for how to generate and use the token.
Developer access
We want to aid in capturing and dissemination of scientific data by allowing others to build on our platform. However, we have only just begun gathering information on what developers would require and how heavily it would be used. Currently, we therefore cannot guarantee production level stability of this feature.
If you want to embed the the MBDB into your own application (e.g. facility deposition interface that deposits records on behalf of users) you'll need to register your application within the MBDB. This requires that you register and then follow the steps outlined in Authentication.
Structure of API record
The metadata record is identical to what you get from the frontend, and the record in this format can directly used to generate a new draft.
Endpoints
A number of endpoints are available depending on the resource you're trying to access:
- Records (metadata retrieval and deposition)
- Files (retrieval and deposition)
- Search query (metadata of records and files)
- Vocabularies