Instana REST API examples
Welcome to the comprehensive guide for using Instana's Backend REST API. This document provides a structured approach to help you efficiently use Instana's API to orchestrate queries and retrieve meaningful data.
Overview
Each example is designed to demonstrate how to interact with the API for different tasks. For each scenario, the following components are included:
- List of API endpoints used: Identifies which API endpoints are used for the query.
- Sample curl request: Provides a curl command template that you can customize to make requests to the API.
- Sample Python function: Outlines a Python function that encapsulates the API call, handling parameters and the response.
- Sample response payload: Shows the expected structure and content of the response payload from the API call.
Getting started
Before you begin, ensure that you have the following requirements:
- An active Instana account with API access.
- Curl and Python installed on your machine if you'd like to try out the examples for yourself.
General prerequisites
To use the identified Instana REST API endpoints in this tutorial, you'll need the following information ready to go.
| Requirement | Description | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| API token | An API token with the appropriate permissions to query the data. In most cases special permissions aren't needed to access data. | Visit the Getting Started guide to learn how to create and access your API token. |
| Base url | The base url is the url you use to access the Instana UI (more details in this reference). It's comprised of your tenant and unit. | It should have the form https://{tenant}-{unit}.instana.io. |
This document assumes a basic understanding of REST API concepts and familiarity with curl and Python programming.
Using the examples
To use the examples provided in this documentation:
- Refer to the specific API endpoint documentation linked in each section.
- Customize the sample curl request and Python function with your specific parameters and API tokens.
- Run the curl request or Python script to see the real-time response from the API.
This approach helps you understand the capabilities of the Instana REST API and how to integrate it into your applications effectively.
Additional resources
For more information on API usage and best practices, see API documentation.
You can also join the IBM TechXchange Community.