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REST API

Prerequisites

Base path

REST API is used to communicate with Cube backend. All requests are prefixed with basePath described in Backend Server Core. By default, it is set to /cubejs-api.

Authentication

Cube uses API tokens to authorize requests and also for passing additional security context, which can be used in the queryRewrite property in your cube.js configuration file.

The API Token is passed via the Authorization Header. The token itself is a JSON Web Token, the Security section describes how to generate it.

In the development environment the token is not required for authorization, but you can still use it to pass a security context.

Example request

curl -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" https://example.com/cubejs-api/v1/sql

Continue wait

If the request takes too long to be processed, Cube Backend responds with { "error": "Continue wait" } and 200 status code. This is how the long polling mechanism in Cube is implemented. Clients should continuously retry the same query in a loop until they get a successful result. Subsequent calls to the Cube endpoints are idempotent and don't lead to scheduling new database queries if not required by refreshKey. Also, receiving Continue wait doesn't mean the database query has been canceled, and it's actually still being processed by the Cube. Database queries that weren't started and are no longer waited by the client's long polling loop will be marked as orphaned and removed from the querying queue.

Possible reasons of Continue wait:

  • The query requested is heavy, and it takes some time for the database to process it. Clients should wait for its completion, continuously sending the same REST API request. continueWaitTimeout can be adjusted in order to change the time Cube waits before returning Continue wait message.
  • There are many queries requested and Cube backend queues them to save database from overloading.

Error Handling

Cube REST API has basic errors and HTTP Error codes for all requests.

StatusError responseDescription
400Error messageGeneral error. It may be a database error, timeout, or other issue. Check error message for details.
403Authorization header isn't setYou didn't provide an auth token. Provide a valid API Token or disable authorization.
403Invalid tokenThe auth token provided is not valid. It may be expired or have invalid signature.
500Error messageCube internal server error. Check error message for details.

Request Span Annotation

For monitoring tools such as Cube Cloud proper request span annotation should be provided in x-request-id header of a request. Each request id should consist of two parts: spanId and requestSequenceId which define x-request-id as whole: ${spanId}-span-${requestSequenceId}. Values of x-request-id header should be unique for each separate request. spanId should define user interaction span such us Continue wait retry cycle and it's value shouldn't change during one single interaction.

Pagination

Cube supports paginated requests for the /v1/load endpoint by including limit and offset parameters in the query. For example, the following query will retrieve rows 101-200 from the Orders cube:

{
  "dimensions": ["Orders.status"],
  "measures": ["Orders.count"],
  "timeDimensions": [
    {
      "dimension": "Orders.createdAt",
      "dateRange": "last year",
      "granularity": "day"
    }
  ],
  "limit": 100,
  "offset": 100
}

API Reference

/v1/load

Get the data for a query.

ParameterDescription
queryEither a single URL encoded Cube Query, or an array of queries
queryTypeIf multiple queries are passed in query for data blending, this must be set to multi

Response

  • query - The query passed via params. It can be an array of queries and in such case it will be treated as a Data Blending query.
  • data - Formatted dataset of query results.
  • annotation - Metadata for query. Contains descriptions for all query items.
    • title - Human readable title from data schema.
    • shortTitle - Short title for visualization usage (ex. chart overlay)
    • type - Data type

Example request:

# Request with http method GET
curl \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 -G \
 --data-urlencode 'query={"measures":["Users.count"]}' \
 http://localhost:4000/cubejs-api/v1/load

# Request with http method POST
# Use POST to fix problem with query length limits
curl \
 -X POST  \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 --data '{"query": {"measures":["Users.count"]}}' \
 http://localhost:4000/cubejs-api/v1/load

Example response:

{
  query:{
    measures:[
      "Users.count"
    ],
    filters:[],
    timezone:"UTC",
    dimensions:[],
    timeDimensions:[]
  },
  data:[
    {
      "Users.count":"700"
    }
  ],
  annotation:{
    measures:{
      "Users.count":{
        title:"Users Count",
        shortTitle:"Count",
        type:"number"
      }
    },
    dimensions:{},
    segments:{},
    timeDimensions:{}
  }
}

Currently all fetched numericals are returned in the same format as driver returns it without any additional processing. Most of drivers return numerical values as strings instead of javascript integer or float to ensure there's no loss of significance. Client code should take care of parsing such numerical values.

/v1/sql

Get the SQL Code generated by Cube to be executed in the database.

ParameterDescription
queryURLencoded Cube Query

Response

  • sql - JSON Object with the following properties
    • sql - Formatted SQL query with parameters
    • order - Order fields and direction used in SQL query
    • cacheKeyQueries - Key names and TTL of Cube data cache
    • preAggregations - SQL queries used to build pre-aggregation tables

Example request:

curl \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 -G \
 --data-urlencode 'query={"measures":["Users.count"],
 "timeDimensions":[{"dimension": "Users.createdAt","granularity":"day","dateRange":["2019-03-01","2019-03-31"]}]}' \
 http://localhost:4000/cubejs-api/v1/sql

Example response:

{
  sql:{
    sql:[
      "SELECT\n      date_trunc('day', (users.created_at::timestamptz AT TIME ZONE 'UTC')) \"users.created_at_date\", count(users.id) \"users.count\"\n    FROM\n      public.users AS users\n  WHERE (users.created_at >= $1::timestamptz AND users.created_at <= $2::timestamptz) GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY 1 ASC LIMIT 10000",
      [
        "2019-03-01T00:00:00Z",
        "2019-03-31T23:59:59Z"
      ]
    ],
    timeDimensionAlias:"users.created_at_date",
    timeDimensionField:"Users.createdAt",
    order:[
      {
        id:"Users.createdAt",
        desc:false
      }
    ],
    cacheKeyQueries:{
      queries:[
        [
          "select max(users.created_at) from public.users AS users",
          []
        ]
      ],
      renewalThreshold:21600
    },
    preAggregations:[]
  }
}

/v1/meta

Get meta-information for cubes defined in data schema

Response

  • cubes - Array of cubes
    • name - Codename of the cube
    • title - Human-readable cube name
    • measures - Array of measures defined within this cube
    • dimensions - Array of dimensions defined within this cube
    • segments - Array of segments defined within this cube
    • connectedComponent - if it has the same value for two cubes, then there is at least one join path between them.

Example request:

curl \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 -G \
 http://localhost:4000/cubejs-api/v1/meta

Example response:

{
  cubes: [
    {
      name: 'Users',
      title: 'Users',
      connectedComponent: 1,
      measures: [
        {
          name: 'Users.count',
          title: 'Users Count',
          shortTitle: 'Count',
          aliasName: 'users.count',
          type: 'number',
          aggType: 'count',
          drillMembers: ['Users.id', 'Users.city', 'Users.createdAt'],
        },
      ],
      dimensions: [
        {
          name: 'Users.city',
          title: 'Users City',
          type: 'string',
          aliasName: 'users.city',
          shortTitle: 'City',
          suggestFilterValues: true,
        },
      ],
      segments: [],
    },
  ];
}

/v1/run-scheduled-refresh

Trigger a scheduled refresh run to refresh pre-aggregations.

Single call to this API may be not enough to refresh everything is pending. This call just populates queue with refresh workload and should be continuously called until refresh jobs have completed; otherwise refresh jobs will be marked as orphaned, and they will be removed from the queue.

Learn more about scheduled refresh here.

ParameterDescription
queryingOptionsOptional URL encoded Cube Query options such as timezone

Empty object response if scheduled successfully.

Example request:

curl \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 -G \
 --data-urlencode 'queryingOptions={"timezone":"UTC"}' \
 http://localhost:4000/cubejs-api/v1/run-scheduled-refresh

/cubejs-system/v1/pre-aggregations/jobs

Submit pre-aggregation build jobs and retrieve their refresh status.

Submitting a job

ParameterDescriptionRequired
actionSubmitting a job requires using the post action✅
selector.contextsAn array of contexts to use✅
selector.timezonesAn array of timezones to use❌
selector.datasourcesAn array of data source names of the pre-aggregation to build❌
selector.cubesAn array of cube names which contain the pre-aggregations to build❌
selector.preAggregationsAn array of pre-aggregation names to build❌

To submit a job, send a POST request with a payload including the action and selector properties. The response will include the jobId of the submitted job.

Example request:

curl \
 -d '{"action": "post", "selector": { "preAggregations": ["Orders.ordersByStatus"]}}' \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 -X POST \
 https://localhost:4000/cubejs-system/v1/pre-aggregations/jobs

Example response:

[
  "e9a6a0c55885cea5371348500ce7d7dc",
  "d1329b6c8d152e734fc4dcf7307b1b58",
  "6f4ea38373663fffc4334a576574845b",
  "ea903b10634b2f3141b35a2529870e89"
]

Retrieving statuses for a job

ParameterDescriptionRequired
actionRetrieving a job requires using the get action✅
resTypeIf object is specified, the response is returned as an JSON object instead of an array❌
tokensAn array of strings representing pre-aggregation build jobs✅

To retrieve the status of a previously submitted job, send a POST request with a tokens property.

Example request:

curl \
 -d '{"action": "get", "tokens": ["e9a6a0c55885cea5371348500ce7d7dc","d1329b6c8d152e734fc4dcf7307b1b58","6f4ea38373663fffc4334a576574845b","ea903b10634b2f3141b35a2529870e89"]}' \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 -X POST \
 https://localhost:4000/cubejs-system/v1/pre-aggregations/jobs

Example response:

[
  {
    "token": "e9a6a0c55885cea5371348500ce7d7dc",
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_hod0x3hf_03krd5ns_1hop3hn",
    "status": "processing",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["UTC"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  },
  {
    "token": "d1329b6c8d152e734fc4dcf7307b1b58",
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_mzfp445f_r2h2isa5_1hop3hn",
    "status": "processing",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["America/Los_Angeles"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  },
  {
    "token": "6f4ea38373663fffc4334a576574845b",
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_hod0x3hf_03krd5ns_1hop3hn",
    "status": "missing_partition",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_2"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["UTC"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  },
  {
    "token": "ea903b10634b2f3141b35a2529870e89",
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_mzfp445f_r2h2isa5_1hop3hn",
    "status": "missing_partition",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_2"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["America/Los_Angeles"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  }
]

Example request with resType: object:

curl \
 -d '{"action": "get", "resType": "object", "tokens": ["e9a6a0c55885cea5371348500ce7d7dc","d1329b6c8d152e734fc4dcf7307b1b58","6f4ea38373663fffc4334a576574845b","ea903b10634b2f3141b35a2529870e89"]}' \
 -H "Authorization: EXAMPLE-API-TOKEN" \
 -X POST \
 https://localhost:4000/cubejs-system/v1/pre-aggregations/jobs

Example response with resType: object:

{
  "e9a6a0c55885cea5371348500ce7d7dc": {
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_hod0x3hf_03krd5ns_1hop3hn",
    "status": "processing",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["UTC"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  },
  "d1329b6c8d152e734fc4dcf7307b1b58": {
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_mzfp445f_r2h2isa5_1hop3hn",
    "status": "processing",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["America/Los_Angeles"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  },
  "6f4ea38373663fffc4334a576574845b": {
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_hod0x3hf_03krd5ns_1hop3hn",
    "status": "missing_partition",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_2"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["UTC"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  },
  "ea903b10634b2f3141b35a2529870e89": {
    "table": "prod_pre_aggregations.orders_category_and_date_mzfp445f_r2h2isa5_1hop3hn",
    "status": "missing_partition",
    "selector": {
      "cubes": ["Orders"],
      "preAggregations": ["Orders.categoryAndDate"],
      "contexts": [
        {
          "securityContext": {
            "tenant": "tenant_2"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timezones": ["America/Los_Angeles"],
      "dataSources": ["default"]
    }
  }
}

/readyz

Returns the ready state of the deployment.

Single-tenant: Ensures the orchestration layer is operational and tests the connection to the default dataSource.

Multi-tenant: Tests connections per-tenant. If no connections exist, it will report as successful.

Example request:

curl -i http://localhost:4000/readyz

Successful example response:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Powered-By: Express
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 19
ETag: W/"13-MyluqxoYxC0tUxBeZCnbaWYVLhg"
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:39:57 GMT
Connection: keep-alive
Keep-Alive: timeout=5

{"health":"HEALTH"}

Failure example response:

HTTP/1.1 500 Internal Server Error
X-Powered-By: Express
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 19
ETag: W/"13-MyluqxoYxC0tUxBeZCnbaWYVLhg"
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:39:57 GMT
Connection: keep-alive
Keep-Alive: timeout=5

{"health":"DOWN"}

/livez

Returns the liveness state of the deployment. This is confirmed by testing any existing connections to dataSource. If no connections exist, it will report as successful.

curl -i http://localhost:4000/livez

Successful example response:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Powered-By: Express
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 19
ETag: W/"13-MyluqxoYxC0tUxBeZCnbaWYVLhg"
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:39:57 GMT
Connection: keep-alive
Keep-Alive: timeout=5

{"health":"HEALTH"}

Failure example response:

HTTP/1.1 500 Internal Server Error
X-Powered-By: Express
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 19
ETag: W/"13-MyluqxoYxC0tUxBeZCnbaWYVLhg"
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:39:57 GMT
Connection: keep-alive
Keep-Alive: timeout=5

{"health":"DOWN"}

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