All Questions
202 questions
109
votes
3
answers
23k
views
API Documentation and Help
Method List
All API methods can be found at https://api.stackexchange.com/docs.
Global Method Parameters
All methods accept the following parameters:
type=jsontext: responds with mime-type text/json.
...
48
votes
0
answers
7k
views
How API Keys Work (FAQ)
What are the API request limits?
A single IP address can only make a certain number of API requests per day, depending on the presence of a valid API key.
Default API daily limits:
Key: 10,000
No Key:...
32
votes
1
answer
11k
views
Looking for a beginner's tutorial to using the API
I see the Stack Exchange API but I'm unable to understand it. I don't think there is any fundamental tutorial showing how to use Stack Overflow fully in the API documentation.
I want some fundamental ...
28
votes
0
answers
258
views
Deleting an application key? [duplicate]
There should be delete buttons on stackapps.com/apps https://stackapps.com/apps/oauth/ so we can delete API-keys.
Or at least de-activate them? I mean, cancelled projects, etc...
A deletion button ...
20
votes
3
answers
159
views
Documentation or API method for `option_id` information, for the `/flags/options` API calls?
The Stack Exchange API has a couple of calls that return a list of flag_option objects.
These objects contain a couple of properties that can be used to identify the flag you need.
For example, when ...
20
votes
0
answers
206
views
How to delete an OAuth (2.0) API key?
I created a couple of extra keys I don't need. Can I delete them? I don't see an option anywhere in the list or on the page for the key itself.
18
votes
1
answer
278
views
Accessing Authenticated User's Close/Delete History
I'm working on the PHP chatroom's cv-pls backlog UI. Many users and myself would like the ability to track which questions we have already handled though close/delete votes. To be able to do that I ...
16
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Registering app for API 2.0 key without Oauth domain
I'm trying to register an app, but it states that I need to add an OAuth domain. But I have Enable Client Side OAuth Flow disabled, because I don't need it right now.
I basically have two questions:
...
15
votes
1
answer
297
views
Is it appropriate to register for a "Dev" app key?
When an app is in early development stages, it is quite common not to have an Icon, a Name, a Website, or even a description.
I'm considering registering one key which I could use in all my Alpha ...
12
votes
1
answer
362
views
How the /sites method is meant to be used
The /sites method is used to enumerate all sites in the network. If your [app] is meant to run against more than a single site (and many are) this method is how you should be discovering new sites in ...
11
votes
0
answers
175
views
Provide a way to reset - not invalidate - API tokens
I'm running a service with ~300 write-authenticated access tokens. It's terrifying.
As part of running such a service, I'd like to be able to cycle API tokens - so that if, heaven forbid, one made an ...
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to delete apps in StackApps?
I have registered an app in Stack Apps. I am trying to delete it, but unable to find the solution. Is there a way to delete it?
10
votes
0
answers
280
views
Tell us that POST is required to write
While troubleshooting /posts/{id}/comments/add in order to answer Why am I getting a 404 when trying to post a comment?, it was noticed that the API path in question only responded to POST requests. ...
10
votes
0
answers
626
views
Separate Request Quotas for Authorized [app]s
Imagine, if you will, you have a popular [app] hosted on a cloud computing service which is also used by a number of other [app]s. If this service forces clients to share IPs (and they all do, in ...
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to see which users upvoted a question?
I assume this information is tracked, since StackOverflow shows me the questions I have upvoted (when going to their question page, I can undo the upvote). I couldn't find any api call that gives this ...
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
My registered apps are not showing in my profile; where can I find them?
I registered two apps in Stack Apps, but when I access my account, it shows no registered apps.
How can I mark them as my apps and how can access app settings (client id, key), etc?
9
votes
1
answer
141
views
Typos in API documentation
From the /posts documentation:
Most applications should use the question or answer specific methods, but /posts is available for those rare cases where any activity is of intereset.
intereset => ...
9
votes
1
answer
212
views
What to do with "OAuth Domain" in the registration page for a browser user script?
I want to register my first project so I can make more API calls without hitting the limit now that it seems to be good enough for others to use.
My project is a browser userscript that works with ...
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How to make a Stack Exchange API call, using my key
I have a Meteor application and I'm making API calls like:
var urlString = "http://api.stackexchange.com/2.2/users/"+surl;
HTTP.call ("GET", urlString, {params:{site:"stackoverflow"}},
function (...
8
votes
1
answer
468
views
API Key limit 10k is Per IP Address or Globally?
Getting started FAQ says No Key limit is IP Address based, but it does not say for with API Key.
When I test my API Key from different IP Addresses, I noticed that 10k limit is globally, limit is ...
8
votes
0
answers
165
views
Incomplete information in API documentation
I am struggling a little bit with the Stack Exchange API since there seems to be no formal specification for the individual endpoints of the API.
Example:
Endpoint: https://api.stackexchange.com/2.2/...
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is it safe to embed my API key into my javascript-only application?
I have an application I'm developing that's pure javascript and consumes the Stack API. My API key is embedded in the source which anyone could read. Is this safe?
7
votes
1
answer
550
views
No website (yet), how to register?
I just started developing a Stack Overflow client, and wanted to add authentication. I found out I needed to register for that and wasn't sure if it was okay to register your app when it is not yet ...
7
votes
1
answer
683
views
Application Key and AccessToken are not working for Stack Exchange API? [duplicate]
I have followed the documentation and used explicit OAuth 2.0 flow for access_token generation.
And I have gone through all 4 steps defined under explicit OAuth 2.0 flow with scope=no_expiry. Then I ...
7
votes
1
answer
127
views
What happened to the JSON documentation for the API?
Back in version 1.1 of the API, we used to be able to do:
http://api.stackoverflow.com/1.1/questions?help
...which would return information about the method in JSON format. However, attempting to ...
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How to protect API Keys?
I want to develop an Open Source Project with Stack Exchange API. So I have to publish the API key there. But a single IP address can only make a certain number of API requests ...
6
votes
1
answer
350
views
Where is the usage documentation?
I know this is probably a dumb question, but there's a bunch of documentation and I don't know what to do with this stuff. How do you use the API?
6
votes
1
answer
219
views
Does a registered stack apps application have to be a website?
If I've created an application that is not a website, can I still register it and get a key?
6
votes
1
answer
135
views
Does a closed and/or deleted Stack Apps post still provide access to the API?
Registering your application as a Stack Apps app is necessary in order to obtain a higher request quota, authentication and write access to the API.
What happens if the question is closed because of ...
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Please "release" and/or document API version 2.3
I was playing around a bit with Fiddler to capture traffic from the Stack Exchange iOS app. To my surprise, it uses version 2.3 of the Stack Exchange API:
I noticed here that it has some extra ...
6
votes
1
answer
255
views
Get Key for my application
I am creating Stack Overflow client application and have reach limit to request. So I decided to get the Key from my application, but got a little confused.
When I requested the Key I provided ...
6
votes
0
answers
72
views
Docs say the API returns a user's age, but it doesn't (anymore)
The doc page says that the user object returns an age property (for those users that specified an age).
But the API no longer does. (Plus spot checks of users that had age in ...
6
votes
0
answers
58
views
API docs for "stack overflow" still feature v1.0 docs
I guess I'd call this a doc bug.
Currently the page http://api.stackoverflow.com redirects to http://api.stackoverflow.com/1.0/usage, which says at the top "Don't use 1.0, use 2.1". This URL ...
6
votes
4
answers
282
views
API key limit increase support
One of the things that came up in the discussion on this question was the fact that the 10K limits might not be enough for websites that want to use the SE API.
It might be a good idea to add a ...
5
votes
1
answer
78
views
Please make the site search on the API alphabetical
When I search, I want the sites to be alphabetical:
Please can they be?
5
votes
1
answer
75
views
Which reputation events are private?
I've been reading the API documentation on retrieving a user's reputation history (docs/types/reputation-history)
and Stack Overflow's description of how reputation is calculated.
But, I can't find ...
5
votes
1
answer
125
views
API docs titled "v2.0"; should be "v2.1"
The documentation is titled "StackExchange API v2.0"... this should be updated to "v2.1" as it's not readily obvious that version 2.1 has been published otherwise.
https://api.stackexchange.com/docs
5
votes
1
answer
734
views
Is it possible to authenticate a user through Stack Overflow API?
Is it possible to use the Stack Overflow API to authenticate a given user identity such as with Facebook, Twitter, or OpenID?
If it's possible: Can you tell me the method (s) that make this happen?
5
votes
1
answer
394
views
How to solve bad_parameter error?
I'm trying to make the Stack Exchange API request using the key provided by Stack Apps. But whenever I try it always throws the below error.
{'error_id': 400, 'error_message': "key doesn't match a ...
5
votes
1
answer
78
views
API documentation pages match some site names incorrectly
The bug is not in the API itself, but in the pages documenting its methods. To reproduce, follow the link http://api.stackexchange.com/docs/info#filter=default&site=math and observe that the page ...
5
votes
1
answer
320
views
Is there an offline copy of the API documentation?
I'm trying to find a way to get all the information in the API in one printable PDF,
complete with the examples given in the documentation.
Is there anyway I can do this?
5
votes
1
answer
165
views
Do the terms "key" and "access_token" refer to the same thing?
I'm trying to get my head around all the limits and throttles but some terminology is confusing me:
If an application does not have an access_token, then the application shares an IP based quota ...
5
votes
2
answers
161
views
API Help's CSS is missing
The API Help page's CSS file, located at http://sstatic.net/so/all.css, is current returning 404 for me:
<div id="header"><h1>Server Error</h1></div>
<div id="content">
...
5
votes
1
answer
180
views
Few typos in the documentation pages
https://api.stackexchange.com/docs/vectors
When passing a vector, sepeate each id with a semicolon. For example, /users/1;2;3;4;5?site=somesite would fetch users with ids 1 through 5 on somesite.
...
5
votes
1
answer
130
views
Typos on api.stackexchange.com/docs/js-lib
Under the Authentication section on https://api.stackexchange.com/docs/js-lib, there are a few typos (emphasis mine):
scope (optional) – an array of scopes to request during authentication, valid ...
5
votes
1
answer
37
views
Typo in API filter documentation
When using unsafe filters, the API returns the highest fidelity data is can reasonably access for the given request.
should be
When using unsafe filters, the API returns the highest fidelity data ...
5
votes
1
answer
92
views
Enumerated types documentation in 1.1 API
I'm starting to implement requesting question and user activity in my framework, but the new 1.1 API documentation doesn't seem to indicate what the possible return values are for the fields any more.
...
5
votes
1
answer
142
views
Two minor typos in the API help
In http://api.stackoverflow.com/0.8/help
/users/{id}/answers Gets answer summary informatino for the user with 'id'.
and in the Returns section of http://api.stackoverflow.com/0.8/help/method?method=...
5
votes
0
answers
124
views
"What is meta" should be rephrased
Stackapps.com/help/whats-meta tells that there is "Meta Stack Apps". However there isn't.
Stack Apps is its own meta and meta is used to ask meta questions here.
4
votes
2
answers
306
views
Can I apply the API Key first and do the application later?
I don't have an application to submit at the moment, but can I apply the key first?