OpenFlower Open REST API

OpenFlower comes with a feature-rich REST API, so you can use it in OpenFlower Apps or extend OpenFlower with new functionality.

Authentication

Session Cookie

In application properties of the API-Service - or as ENV Variable in Docker setups, you can set a name for the Cookie. In our ExamplesLOWCODER_CE_SELFHOST_TOKEN

With this value, you can then authenticate API Calls.

If no user is logged In, API Calls will get executed in the name of "Anonymous User" and for most of the API Calls, this user has no desired rights.

If you are logged in, the Cookie of the currently logged-in user will be used to make API Calls in the name of the current user. This means, that Access Rights to different Functions are automatically applied by the Role of the User. (Admin, Member, Visitor)

If you want to use the API from outside of OpenFlower, you need to authenticate first and use the Cookie as the LOWCODER_CE_SELFHOST_TOKEN API key in every API Call.

// Login a User on OpenFlower by eMail

curl --location '//api/auth/form/login' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'Accept: */*' \
--data '{
  "loginId": "<your_user>",
  "password": "<your_password>",
  "register": "false",
  "source": "EMAIL",
  "authId": "EMAIL"
}'

When successfully logged in, you will get the following Response:

// Login Method Response

{
    "code": 1,
    "message": "",
    "data": true,
    "success": true
}

In particular, you will get back the Cookie to authorize the next API Calls.

// Cookie in Response
LOWCODER_CE_SELFHOST_TOKEN=<generatedCookieValue>; Path=/; Max-Age=2592000; Expires=Tue, 25 Jul 2023 13:51:31 GMT; HttpOnly; SameSite=Lax

For all the next API Calls you need to set the Cookie

// API Requests authorized
curl --location 'http://localhost:3000//api/users/currentUser' \
--header 'Accept: */*' \
--header 'Cookie: LOWCODER_CE_SELFHOST_TOKEN=<generatedCookieValue>'

API Key

Since OpenFlower v2.1.3 you can create and use alternatively also a JWT-based API Key.

As a logged-in user, you can use the API based on the Cookie to generate an API Key.

// use the OpenFlower API to generate the JWT based API Key
curl --location '<your lowcoder location>/api/auth/api-key' \
--header 'cookie: LOWCODER_CE_SELFHOST_TOKEN=<generatedCookieValue>;' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
    "name":"<your api key name>",
    "description": "A wonderful API Key"
}'

In return, you will get a JSON response containing the API key

{
    "code": 1,
    "message": "",
    "data": {
        "id": "<the generated API Key Id",
        "token": "ey...<the JSON Web Token>"
    },
    "success": true
}

For all further API Calls, you can then use the API Key, which impersonates the logged-in user, that created the API Key.

As the API Key impersonates the user, who created the API Key (based on the Cookie), all rights of that impersonated User are also active via API Key.

OpenAPI Specification & Postman Collection

You can find more information of the specification & documentation here: https://docs.openflower.org/lowcoder-api-specification/api-reference-lowcoder\

The Base URL of the OpenFlower API depends on your installation.

Single Docker Deployment

The Base URL of the API is the same as for the Frontend. In local installations for example:

http://localhost:3000/
https://<yourdomain>:3000/
https://<yourdomain>/

Multi-Docker Deployment

In a Multi-Docker Deployment, you will have an individual IP address or Domain for the API-Service Container. This is then the Base URL for the OpenFlower API.

https://<your-api-service-domain>:8080/
https://<your-api-service-domain>/

When you run Multi-Docker Deployment on Localhost, you will need to look for the Bridge-Network Settings that apply to your setup.

Since OpenFlower v2.1.6 we publish the OpenAPI Specification and the Swagger Documentation automatically.

Swagger Documentation: <OpenFlower-Location>/api/docs/webjars/swagger-ui/index.html#
OpenAPI Specification: <OpenFlower-Location>/api/docs/api-docs

You can find the current API Documentation for example here: coming soon.

Using OpenFlower API - inside OpenFlower Apps

Since OpenFlower v2.0.0, it is possible to use the OpenFlower REST API inside of Apps in OpenFlower itself. To do so, create an OpenAPI specification-based Data Source.

Connect the OpenFlower API as OpenAPI Datasource

Use your defined LOWCODER_CE_SELFHOST_TOKEN as API Key Auth. It will be automatically replaced by the adapted Cookie if a User is logged in.

Also, you can use the API Key to interact with the OpenFlower API as an impersonated user.

The OpenAPI specification Document is automatically generated. The Server URL is your API-Service URL. Please read more about it here

http://localhost:3000/api/docs/api-docs
https://<yourdomain>/api/docs/api-docs

As soon as connected and the OpenAPI specification is found and processed, the API Controllers are accessible in the Datasource.

Select a Controller to see it's Operations

For each Controller, you can see then the possible Operations.

Find the list of possible Operations for the selected Controller

Now you can execute the API Call based on its settings.