controler_api processes authorized REST API requests: It provides an easy way to create API calls to allow computer programs to perform functions on your Zotonic site.

controller_api by default intercepts all URLs according to the patterns /api/:topic.

The topic can refer to a model. In this case the topic pattern is one of:

• /api/model/mymodel/get/foo/bar maps to m_mymodel:m_get([ <<"foo"\>\>, <<"bar"\>\> ], Msg, Context)
• /api/model/mymodel/post/foo/bar maps to m_mymodel:m_delete([ <<"foo"\>\>, <<"bar"\>\> ], Msg, Context)
• /api/model/mymodel/delete/foo/bar maps to m_mymodel:m_delete([ <<"foo"\>\>, <<"bar"\>\> ], Msg, Context)

In all case the Msg is an MQTT message map, with the payload set to the body of the received request. In case of a GET or DELETE the payload is set to a map of the query arguments.

Note that for a POST the payload might not be the complete message as additional query arguments are passed via z_context:get_q(<<"argument_name"\>\>, Context). If the model function is called using MQTT, then all arguments are contained in the payload.

The API controller will publish a message to the topic, and wait for max 60 seconds for a response on the response topic.

If there is a query argument response_topic then the API controller will only publish the message and immediately return.

See also

Dispatch rules and Controllers.