AppNexus API Semantics
REST
AppNexus API services are "RESTful." REST (Representational State Transfer) is a type of software architecture in which requests model the communication from a web browser to a web server. Below are the central REST methods used in the AppNexus API Services and their uses:
POST |
create/add |
GET |
read/retrieve |
PUT |
update/modify |
DELETE |
delete |
In our documentation we use curl to make REST requests. Curl is a command line tool for transferring files with URL syntax, supporting FTP, FTPS, HTTP, HTTPS, SCP, SFTP, TFTP, TELNET, DICT, LDAP, LDAPS and FILE. The example scripts on each API wiki page will make clear the structure of the curl commands you will need to run AppNexus API Services.
Examples of using PHP, Ruby, Python, or JAVA with our APIs are coming soon.
Limiting GET Request Records
Adding this string to the end of a GET request will limit the number of records retrieved:
?start_element=N&num_elements=N
Examples
segment/1?start_element=0&num_elements=1000 member?start_element=0&num_elements=100 creative/1?start_element=0&num_elements=200
JSON Field Values
POST and PUT requests require JSON-formatted data. For PUT requests, only the JSON fields included in a request will be updated. All other fields will be unchanged.
Different fields require different types of values.
Type |
Description |
Example |
|---|---|---|
Boolean |
True/False |
True |
String(100) |
String of 100 characters or less |
male_26_likes_cheese |
Int |
Integer |
87 |
Unsigned |
Positive integers only |
745 |
Float |
Floating point number |
3.00 |
Double |
Floating point number with twice the bit space of a float. |
3.00 |
Enum |
Specific preassigned values only |
male/female |
Timestamp |
Date and time string in the form YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS |
2009-01-14 05:41:04 |
Array |
More than one value allowed |
[displaywords:87,45] |
Authentication
Before you can use the APIs, you will authenticate yourself with your username and password. Please see Authentication for details.
Response Codes
All API Services return JSON-formatted data. When Service calls are successful, the JSON response will include a "status" field set to "OK". The response to POST and PUT calls will also include the ID of the relevant object, such as bidder, member, tag, or creative. (In the example below we are using cookies to store our authentication token and adding the file "tag" to the Tiny Tag Service.)
Errors
When invalid input is sent to the API - for example, an incorrect password - a JSON response will be returned with "error" and "error_id" fields.
The "error" field is useful for debugging purposes, as it contains a verbose description of the error. The "error_id" field can be used programatically as follows.
Error_ID |
Meaning |
Logic |
|---|---|---|
NOAUTH |
Authentication information is either missing or invalid |
Use /auth to get a valid token |
UNAUTH |
The user is not authorized to take the requested action |
Check 'error' message and make sure logic is correct in code |
SYNTAX |
The syntax of the request is incorrect |
Use the 'error' message to identify the issue and fix the code |
SYSTEM |
A system error has occurred |
Contact AppNexus |
INTEGRITY |
A client request is inconsistent; for example, an attempt to delete a default creative attached to an active placement |
Check the request for integrity |
SSL
Please use https://api.appnexus.com for secure data and authentication.