Introduction to the Astra REST API

04/15/2021 Contributors Download PDF of this page

The NetApp Astra service provides a REST API that you can access directly through a programming language or utility such as Curl. The major highlights and benefits of the API are presented below.

To access the REST API, you need to first sign in to the Astra web user interface and generate an API token. You must include the token on each API request.

Built on REST technology

The Astra API has been created using REST technology and current best practices. The core technology includes HTTP, JSON, and RBAC.

Clear mapping between REST endpoint resources and object model

The external REST endpoints used to access the resources map to a consistent object model maintained internally by the Astra service. The object model is designed using entity-relationship (ER) modeling which helps to clearly define the API actions and responses.

Rich set of query parameters

The REST API provides a rich set of query parameters that can be used to access the resources collections. Some of the supported operations include:

Filtering
Sorting
Pagination

Alignment with the Astra web UI

The Astra web interface uses the same REST API and so there is consistency between the two access paths and user experience.

Robust debugging and problem determination data

The Astra REST API provides a robust debugging and problem determination capability, including events and notifications generated internally.

Foundation for advanced automation technologies

In addition to accessing the REST API directly, you can use other automation technologies that are based on the REST API.