Overview: Aspera Node API

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The Aspera Node API is a feature of HSTS that provides a REST API for full programmatic control of the Aspera transfer server environment. The asperanoded daemon (which is run by the asperadaemon user), provides node-specific services such as browsing, searching, creating, and deleting files and directories, and setting up transfers over HTTP or HTTPS.

The Node API connects nodes to Aspera web applications, such as IBM Aspera Faspex, IBM Aspera Shares, and IBM Aspera on Cloud, and integrate Aspera applications with your web application. It is supported by all Aspera server products and across multi-cloud and hybrid storage systems.

Note: If you are going to expose asperanoded to the internet, increase the security by using a proxy. See Securing the Node Service behind a reverse proxy.

The Node API includes the following features and functions:

  • An HTTPS (by default port 9092) and HTTP (by default port 9091) interface.
  • An API that uses JSON data format.
  • The API is authenticated and the node daemon uses its own application-level users (node users).
  • A node admin utility, asnodeadmin, for adding and managing Node API users and passwords. For more information, see Node Admin tool.
  • It logs to syslog, akin to asperacentral, except for Red Hat, which logs to /var/log/messages.

Requirements to use the Node API:

  • The line 127.0.0.1 localhost must appear in the hosts file:

    /etc/hosts

  • For UNIX-based nodes, SELinux must be set to permissive or disabled, not enforced. Check the status of SELinux with the following command: 
    # sestatus

    If SELinux is set to enforced, see Disabling SELinux. If SELinux is set to disabled or enforced, or if sestatus reports that SELinux is not installed on your system, you do not need to take further action.