Build your own apps with CODA API 2.0

It's been a year now since we launched the first version of the CODA API. In that time we got lots of great feedback from users, and the CODA system has moved on, so we felt it was time to update the CODA API. We've now completed that process, and we're pleased to announce version two of our API.

Not only have we updated the API itself, we've worked a lot on the things that go with it. To help you get your applications up and running, there's a new CODA Dev Central. To help users manage the applications they use with CODA, there are new options under the Settings menu in CODA.

What's new?

First up, the API itself. After lots of useful feedback, we decided to move to a more regimented set of API calls, allowing you create, get, modify, and remove all basic system objects: displays, sources, playlists, users, groups, and sites.

The aim with API 2.0 is to allow you to do everything you can currently do in the website via the API - making it possible to replace the entire website with a custom application if you so desired!

Signwriter allows people to create and manage digital directions,
and was implemented very quickly using CODA's API

Support for new features such as tagging are in there now, as are permissions (we back-ported permission enforcement to the original API too, but we did not add any functionality to work with permissions).

The new API is fully documented, with a page for each API call explaining what parameters to pass, what to expect in return, and example responses.

CODA API access is still based on the popular OAuth standard, which requires application writers have a Consumer Token to identify their applications. Previously you had to email in a request for a token to start working with the API, but not any more - now you can log in to CODA Dev Central, a new site that lets you easily create and manage your API keys, and provides a handy springboard to all the documentation. This makes it much easier to get started writing apps for CODA - simply add a new application here, follow the documentation links, and you should be well on your way to driving CODA from your own apps.

Log in, create a new application and read documentation at CODA Dev Central.

The final piece of the pie is allowing users to manage the applications they've authenticated to work with CODA. Users can now go to the Settings link in the top right of most pages on the CODA website, and they'll find a list of applications they've authorised. This lets them check which applications can access CODA on their behalf, and grants the option to revoke access if they desire.

We continue to work on the API, and hope to keep expanding the range. But for now we think the API 2.0 release is a great one for our customers to work with and so are throwing the doors open today. The original API will still continue to function for some time, but we'd encourage anyone starting a new application to use version 2.0, and to port older applications to the newer API as early as is convenient.