Using the TechPort Application Programming Interface (API)
The NASA TechPort system provides a RESTful web services API to make technology project data available to other systems and services. This API can be used to export TechPort data into JSON format, which can be further processed and analyzed.
Complete documentation of the available objects, properties, and RESTful URIs is available in the documentation at the bottom of this page.
Complete documentation of the available objects, properties, and RESTful URIs is available in the documentation at the bottom of this page.
1
Start with a token
All TechPort API calls require an API Token – a unique identifier that matches your request to an authenticated TechPort session. Because the token reflects an active session, you’ll need a new token each time you access the TechPort API.
The API allows you to interface with TechPort data and services without the web interface. But the simplest way to generate an API token is to access this system, then copy the current session’s token. You can then paste the token into your API call.
2
Use that token to authorize
If you want to use the "Try it out" feature of this interface, copy the API Token, click Authorize below, paste the token into the Value field, click Authorize, then click Close.
3
Make your API request
If you want to use the "Try it out" feature of this interface, copy the API Token, click Authorize below, paste the token into the Value field, click Authorize, then click Close.
4
Interpret API Responses
TechPort uses conventional HTTP response codes to indicate the success or failure of an API request. Codes in the 2xx range indicate success. Codes in the 4xx range indicate an error related to data passed in the original call (e.g., an incorrect input). Codes in the 5xx range indicate an error within TechPort itself. (This last category of error is automatically reported to the TechPort team.)
Glossary
API
Application Programming Interface - a set of rules governing how different applications can communicate with each other. TechPort’s APIs give outside systems access to the same functions and data structures used to create techport.nasa.gov.
JSON
JavaScript Object Notation - an open standard file and data interchange format that uses attribute-value pairs, and array data types, to represent structured data.
REST
Representational State Transfer - an architectural style that describes how distributed systems expose an interface. When people use the term `"`REST API,`"` they are usually referring to an API accessed via HTTP, at a predefined set of URLs.