--- stage: Create group: Import info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments description: Programmatic interaction with GitLab. title: REST API --- {{< details >}} - Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate - Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated {{< /details >}} Automate your workflows and build integrations with the GitLab REST API: - Create custom tools to manage your GitLab resources at scale without manual intervention. - Improve collaboration by integrating GitLab data directly into your applications. - Manage CI/CD processes across multiple projects with precision. - Control user access programmatically to maintain consistent permissions across your organization. The REST API uses standard HTTP methods and JSON data formats for compatibility with your existing tools and systems. ## Make a REST API request To make a REST API request: - Submit a request to an API endpoint by using a REST API client. - The GitLab instance responds to the request. It returns a status code and if applicable, the requested data. The status code indicates the outcome of the request and is useful when [troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md). A REST API request must start with the root endpoint and the path. - The root endpoint is the GitLab host name. - The path must start with `/api/v4` (`v4` represents the API version). In the following example, the API request retrieves the list of all projects on GitLab host `gitlab.example.com`: ```shell curl "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects" ``` Access to some endpoints require authentication. For more information, see [Authentication](authentication.md). ## Rate limits REST API requests are subject to rate limit settings. These settings reduce the risk of a GitLab instance being overloaded. - For details, see [Rate limits](../../security/rate_limits.md). - For details of the rate limit settings used by GitLab.com, see [GitLab.com-specific rate limits](../../user/gitlab_com/_index.md#rate-limits-on-gitlabcom). ## Response format REST API responses are returned in JSON format. Some API endpoints also support plain text format. To confirm which content type an endpoint supports, see the [REST API resources](../api_resources.md). ## Request requirements Some REST API requests have specific requirements, including the data format and encoding used. ### Request payload API requests can use parameters sent as [query strings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Query_string) or as a [payload body](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-httpbis-p3-payload-14#section-3.2). GET requests usually send a query string, while PUT or POST requests usually send the payload body: - Query string: ```shell curl --request POST "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects?name=&description=" ``` - Request payload (JSON): ```shell curl --request POST --header "Content-Type: application/json" \ --data '{"name":"", "description":""}' "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects" ``` URL encoded query strings have a length limitation. Requests that are too large result in a `414 Request-URI Too Large` error message. This can be resolved by using a payload body instead. ### Path parameters If an endpoint has path parameters, the documentation displays them with a preceding colon. For example: ```plaintext DELETE /projects/:id/share/:group_id ``` The `:id` path parameter needs to be replaced with the project ID, and the `:group_id` needs to be replaced with the ID of the group. The colons `:` shouldn't be included. The resulting cURL request for a project with ID `5` and a group ID of `17` is then: ```shell curl --request DELETE --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/5/share/17" ``` Path parameters that are required to be URL-encoded must be followed. If not, it doesn't match an API endpoint and responds with a 404. If there's something in front of the API (for example, Apache), ensure that it doesn't decode the URL-encoded path parameters. ### `id` vs `iid` Some API resources have two similarly-named fields. For example, [issues](../issues.md), [merge requests](../merge_requests.md), and [project milestones](../merge_requests.md). The fields are: - `id`: ID that is unique across all projects. - `iid`: Additional, internal ID (displayed in the web UI) that's unique in the scope of a single project. If a resource has both the `iid` field and the `id` field, the `iid` field is usually used instead of `id` to fetch the resource. For example, suppose a project with `id: 42` has an issue with `id: 46` and `iid: 5`. In this case: - A valid API request to retrieve the issue is `GET /projects/42/issues/5`. - An invalid API request to retrieve the issue is `GET /projects/42/issues/46`. Not all resources with the `iid` field are fetched by `iid`. For guidance regarding which field to use, see the documentation for the specific resource. ### Encoding When making a REST API request, some content must be encoded to account for special characters and data structures. #### Namespaced paths If using namespaced API requests, make sure that the `NAMESPACE/PROJECT_PATH` is URL-encoded. For example, `/` is represented by `%2F`: ```plaintext GET /api/v4/projects/diaspora%2Fdiaspora ``` A project's path isn't necessarily the same as its name. A project's path is found in the project's URL or in the project's settings, under **General > Advanced > Change path**. #### File path, branches, and tags name If a file path, branch or tag contains a `/`, make sure it is URL-encoded. For example, `/` is represented by `%2F`: ```plaintext GET /api/v4/projects/1/repository/files/src%2FREADME.md?ref=master GET /api/v4/projects/1/branches/my%2Fbranch/commits GET /api/v4/projects/1/repository/tags/my%2Ftag ``` #### Array and hash types You can request the API with `array` and `hash` types parameters: ##### `array` `import_sources` is a parameter of type `array`: ```shell curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " \ -d "import_sources[]=github" \ -d "import_sources[]=bitbucket" \ "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/some_endpoint" ``` ##### `hash` `override_params` is a parameter of type `hash`: ```shell curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " \ --form "namespace=email" \ --form "path=impapi" \ --form "file=@/path/to/somefile.txt" \ --form "override_params[visibility]=private" \ --form "override_params[some_other_param]=some_value" \ "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/import" ``` ##### Array of hashes `variables` is a parameter of type `array` containing hash key/value pairs `[{ 'key': 'UPLOAD_TO_S3', 'value': 'true' }]`: ```shell curl --globoff --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " \ "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/169/pipeline?ref=master&variables[0][key]=VAR1&variables[0][value]=hello&variables[1][key]=VAR2&variables[1][value]=world" curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " \ --header "Content-Type: application/json" \ --data '{ "ref": "master", "variables": [ {"key": "VAR1", "value": "hello"}, {"key": "VAR2", "value": "world"} ] }' \ "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/169/pipeline" ``` #### Encoding `+` in ISO 8601 dates If you need to include a `+` in a query parameter, you may need to use `%2B` instead, due to a [W3 recommendation](https://www.w3.org/Addressing/URL/4_URI_Recommentations.html) that causes a `+` to be interpreted as a space. For example, in an ISO 8601 date, you may want to include a specific time in ISO 8601 format, such as: ```plaintext 2017-10-17T23:11:13.000+05:30 ``` The correct encoding for the query parameter would be: ```plaintext 2017-10-17T23:11:13.000%2B05:30 ``` ## Evaluating a response In some circumstances the API response may not be as you expect. Issues can include null values and redirection. If you receive a numeric status code in the response, see [Status codes](troubleshooting.md#status-codes). ### `null` vs `false` In API responses, some boolean fields can have `null` values. A `null` boolean has no default value and is neither `true` nor `false`. GitLab treats `null` values in boolean fields the same as `false`. In boolean arguments, you should only set `true` or `false` values (not `null`). ### Redirects {{< history >}} - Introduced in GitLab 16.4 [with a flag](../../administration/feature_flags/_index.md) named `api_redirect_moved_projects`. Disabled by default. - [Generally available](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/137578) in GitLab 16.7. Feature flag `api_redirect_moved_projects` removed. {{< /history >}} After [path changes](../../user/project/repository/_index.md#repository-path-changes) the REST API might respond with a message noting that the endpoint has moved. When this happens, used the endpoint specified in the `Location` header. Example of a project moved to a different path: ```shell curl --verbose "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/gitlab-org%2Fold-path-project" ``` The response is: ```plaintext ... < Location: http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/81 ... This resource has been moved permanently to https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/81 ``` ## Pagination GitLab supports the following pagination methods: - Offset-based pagination. The default method and available on all endpoints except, in GitLab 16.5 and later, the `users` endpoint. - Keyset-based pagination. Added to selected endpoints but being [progressively rolled out](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/2039). For large collections, you should use keyset pagination (when available) instead of offset pagination, for performance reasons. ### Offset-based pagination {{< history >}} - The `users` endpoint was [deprecated](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/426547) for offset-based pagination in GitLab 16.5 and is planned for removal in 17.0. This change is a breaking change. Use keyset-based pagination for this endpoint instead. - The `users` endpoint enforces keyset-based pagination when the number of requested records is greater than 50,000 in GitLab 17.0. {{< /history >}} Sometimes, the returned result spans many pages. When listing resources, you can pass the following parameters: | Parameter | Description | |:-----------|:--------------------------------------------------------------| | `page` | Page number (default: `1`). | | `per_page` | Number of items to list per page (default: `20`, max: `100`). | In the following example, we list 50 [namespaces](../namespaces.md) per page: ```shell curl --request GET --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/namespaces?per_page=50" ``` {{< alert type="note" >}} There is a [max offset allowed limit](../../administration/instance_limits.md#max-offset-allowed-by-the-rest-api-for-offset-based-pagination) for offset pagination. You can change the limit in GitLab Self-Managed instances. {{< /alert >}} #### Pagination `Link` header [`Link` headers](https://www.w3.org/wiki/LinkHeader) are returned with each response. They have `rel` set to `prev`, `next`, `first`, or `last` and contain the relevant URL. Be sure to use these links instead of generating your own URLs. For GitLab.com users, [some pagination headers may not be returned](../../user/gitlab_com/_index.md#pagination-response-headers). In the following cURL example, we limit the output to three items per page (`per_page=3`) and we request the second page (`page=2`) of [comments](../notes.md) of the issue with ID `8` which belongs to the project with ID `9`: ```shell curl --head --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/9/issues/8/notes?per_page=3&page=2" ``` The response is: ```http HTTP/2 200 OK cache-control: no-cache content-length: 1103 content-type: application/json date: Mon, 18 Jan 2016 09:43:18 GMT link: ; rel="prev", ; rel="next", ; rel="first", ; rel="last" status: 200 OK vary: Origin x-next-page: 3 x-page: 2 x-per-page: 3 x-prev-page: 1 x-request-id: 732ad4ee-9870-4866-a199-a9db0cde3c86 x-runtime: 0.108688 x-total: 8 x-total-pages: 3 ``` #### Other pagination headers GitLab also returns the following additional pagination headers: | Header | Description | |:----------------|:------------| | `x-next-page` | The index of the next page. | | `x-page` | The index of the current page (starting at 1). | | `x-per-page` | The number of items per page. | | `x-prev-page` | The index of the previous page. | | `x-total` | The total number of items. | | `x-total-pages` | The total number of pages. | For GitLab.com users, [some pagination headers may not be returned](../../user/gitlab_com/_index.md#pagination-response-headers). ### Keyset-based pagination Keyset-pagination allows for more efficient retrieval of pages and - in contrast to offset-based pagination - runtime is independent of the size of the collection. This method is controlled by the following parameters. `order_by` and `sort` are both mandatory. | Parameter | Required | Description | |--------------|----------|-------------| | `pagination` | yes | `keyset` (to enable keyset pagination). | | `per_page` | no | Number of items to list per page (default: `20`, max: `100`). | | `order_by` | yes | Column by which to order by. | | `sort` | yes | Sort order (`asc` or `desc`) | In the following example, we list 50 [projects](../projects.md) per page, ordered by `id` ascending. ```shell curl --request GET --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects?pagination=keyset&per_page=50&order_by=id&sort=asc" ``` The response header includes a link to the next page. For example: ```http HTTP/1.1 200 OK ... Link: ; rel="next" Status: 200 OK ... ``` The link to the next page contains an additional filter `id_after=42` that excludes already-retrieved records. As another example, the following request lists 50 [groups](../groups.md) per page ordered by `name` ascending using keyset pagination: ```shell curl --request GET --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: " "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups?pagination=keyset&per_page=50&order_by=name&sort=asc" ``` The response header includes a link to the next page: ```http HTTP/1.1 200 OK ... Link: ; rel="next" Status: 200 OK ... ``` The link to the next page contains an additional filter `cursor=eyJuYW1lIjoiRmxpZ2h0anMiLCJpZCI6IjI2IiwiX2tkIjoibiJ9` that excludes already-retrieved records. The type of filter depends on the `order_by` option used, and we can have more than one additional filter. {{< alert type="warning" >}} The `Links` header was removed to be aligned with the [W3C `Link` specification](https://www.w3.org/wiki/LinkHeader). The `Link` header should be used instead. {{< /alert >}} When the end of the collection is reached and there are no additional records to retrieve, the `Link` header is absent and the resulting array is empty. You should use only the given link to retrieve the next page instead of building your own URL. Apart from the headers shown, we don't expose additional pagination headers. #### Supported resources Keyset-based pagination is supported only for selected resources and ordering options: | Resource | Options | Availability | |:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------|:-------------| | [Group audit events](../audit_events.md#retrieve-all-group-audit-events) | `order_by=id`, `sort=desc` only | Authenticated users only. | | [Groups](../groups.md#list-groups) | `order_by=name`, `sort=asc` only | Unauthenticated users only. | | [Instance audit events](../audit_events.md#retrieve-all-instance-audit-events) | `order_by=id`, `sort=desc` only | Authenticated users only. | | [Package pipelines](../packages.md#list-package-pipelines) | `order_by=id`, `sort=desc` only | Authenticated users only. | | [Project jobs](../jobs.md#list-project-jobs) | `order_by=id`, `sort=desc` only | Authenticated users only. | | [Project audit events](../audit_events.md#retrieve-all-project-audit-events) | `order_by=id`, `sort=desc` only | Authenticated users only. | | [Projects](../projects.md) | `order_by=id` only | Authenticated and unauthenticated users. | | [Users](../users.md) | `order_by=id`, `order_by=name`, `order_by=username`, `order_by=created_at`, or `order_by=updated_at`. | Authenticated and unauthenticated users. [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/419556) in GitLab 16.5. | | [Registry Repository Tags](../container_registry.md) | `order_by=name`, `sort=asc`, or `sort=desc` only. | Authenticated users only. | | [List repository tree](../repositories.md#list-repository-tree) | N/A | Authenticated and unauthenticated users. [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/154897) in GitLab 17.1. | ### Pagination response headers For performance reasons, if a query returns more than 10,000 records, GitLab doesn't return the following headers: - `x-total`. - `x-total-pages`. - `rel="last"` `link` ## Versioning and deprecations The REST API version complies with the semantic versioning specification. The major version number is `4`. Backward-incompatible changes require this version number to change. - The minor version isn't explicit, which allows for a stable API endpoint. - New features are added to the API in the same version number. - Major API version changes, and removal of entire API versions, are done in tandem with major GitLab releases. - All deprecations and changes between versions are noted in the documentation. The following are excluded from the deprecation process and can be removed at any time without notice: - Elements labeled in the [REST API resources](../api_resources.md) as [experimental or beta](../../policy/development_stages_support.md). - Fields behind a feature flag and disabled by default. For GitLab Self-Managed, [downgrading](../../downgrade_ee_to_ce/_index.md) from an EE instance to CE causes breaking changes.