Using the API

Built with an API-first architecture, the IBM® NS1 Connect® platform provides all the tools necessary for users to manage their NS1 account and resources programmatically. The IBM NS1 Connect® API is a standard REST API with JSON responses. Refer to the NS1 API documentation (https://ns1.com/api) for the full index of API endpoints and requests.

HTTP request methods

The HTTP method you use — GET, PUT, POST, or DELETE — determines the type of action to be taken by the API. Generally, in the case of PUT and POST requests, you will send a JSON body in the request with details about the resource you're creating or updating.

GET: This method requests a representation of the specified resource. Requests using GET retrieve some specified data set.
PUT: This method submits an entity to the specified resource — typically, creating a new object.
POST: This method replaces all current representations of the target resource with the request payload. In other words, it edits or updates an existing resource.
DELETE: This method deletes the specified resource or configuration.

Authentication

The IBM NS1 Connect® API uses API keys to authenticate requests. You can create your first API key within the IBM NS1 Connect® portal (http://my.nsone.net) with the necessary permissions.

Warning: Do not share your API key secret with anyone, and be sure to store the key secret securely. When creating the API key, enable only the permissions required for its intended application.

The API authentication header is represented in the API documentation by "X-NSONE-Key: $NSONE_API_KEY" where $NSONE_API_KEY is replaced by a valid NS1 API key secret. We recommend adding the API key as one of your environment variables to make it easier to copy and paste code snippets.

Note: NS1 API requests must be made over HTTPS. Unauthenticated API calls, as well as those made over plain HTTP, will fail.