# API Architecture

The Quable Team

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Published 2023-09-30

What is a REST API?
How does Quable's REST API work?
Data format
API versions
-- API V4
-- API V5
API specification
API limitation

# What is a REST API?

APIs are interfaces that allow other applications to interact with and access a system’s features, functionalities, and data in a systematic manner.

Quable’s API is organized on REST (Representational State Transfer) principles. REST is an architectural style that describes how distributed software systems can expose consistent interfaces to their resources.

A REST API is a type of API that uses HTTP requests to interact with resources.
Resources can be anything from database records to product images. REST APIs are typically stateless, meaning that each request is independent of the previous one. This makes them very scalable and easy to use.

Quable’s REST API endpoints are resource-centric and use HTTP protocol to access and act upon them.

# How does Quable's REST API work?

Quable's REST API is organized around a set of resources, such as documents, classifications, variants, links, assets...
To access a resource, you send an HTTP request to the appropriate endpoint.
For example, to get a list of all documents, you would send a GET request to the /documents endpoint.

Quable's REST API supports the following HTTP methods:

GET: Retrieve a resource.
POST: Create a new resource.
PUT: Update an existing resource.
DELETE: Delete a resource.

# Data Format

REST APIs support:

All data created, updated, or retrieved via the Quable PIM API must respect those formats, encoded with UTF-8.
We recommend to use HAL+JSON or JSON-LD

# API Versions

In our ongoing efforts to provide the most reliable and stable environment, Quable PIM currently has two API versions:

# API v5

This is Quable PIM's newest & most performant API version.

# API v4

This is old Quable PIM API.
There are no plans to deprecate this version, however endpoint deprecations are periodically scheduled.

Do not use this API while developing new script.

If you're updating scripts or feeds, don't hesitate to take a look at version 5, which is simpler, multilingual and high-performance.

Deprecations

Please have a look at the list of endpoints deprecation for regular updates.

# API Specifications

Specification	API v5	API v4
Endpoint - Domain	`https://{{instance}}.quable.com`	https://{{instance}}.quable.com
Endpoint - Prefix	`/api/`	/api_1.php/
Endpoint Deprecations	API v5 Endpoint Deprecations	API v4 Endpoint Deprecations
Data format	JSON, JSON+LD, HAL+JSON	JSON
Token	Bearer	Bearer
Protocol	HTTPs	HTTPs
Multilingual	Yes	No

# API limitation

Depending on the volume of API calls, you may receive responses with the HTTP response code 429.
In this case, your applications must reduce the number of calls or wait a few seconds before resuming calls.

Restrictions :

6K calls per 10 minutes bucket : If exceeded, 429 HTTP response code will be returned (10 minute bucket)
300K calls per day : If exceeded, 429 HTTP response code will be returned (1 day bucket)