Introduction

Welcome to the WebCode.How API! You can use our API to access our articles and site metrics that are available publicly.

We have language bindings in Shell, Ruby, and JavaScript! You can view code examples in the dark area to the right, and you can switch the programming language of the examples with the tabs in the top right.

This API documentation page was created with Slate. We at WebCode.How send a giant thank you to the team that built this wonderful tool.

Authentication

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WebCode.How's public API requires no authentication and has no set rate limits.

Abuse of the API will result in your IP being blocked. Please do NOT perform so many requests that it looks like abuse.

Articles

Get All Articles

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "content": "In 2008, Google officially released autocomplete and forever...",
      "demoUrl": "http://demo.webcode.how/ajax-autocomplete",
      "excerpt": "Learn how to make a simple AJAX-loading dynamic...",
      "slug": "how-to-make-an-ajax-autocomplete-for-a-search-input",
      "syntax": "javascript",
      "title": "How To Make An Ajax Autocomplete For A Search Input",
      "author": {
        "id": 3,
        "name": "Dean Papastrat",
        "pictureUrl": "http://cdn.webcode.how/3ijofscior.jpg"
      },
      "browser_support": {
        "browsers": [
          {
            "minimumVersion": "21",
            "type": "chrome"
          }
        ],
        "compatibilityTableUrl": "http://caniuse.com/input",
      },
      "demoRepository": {
        "downloadUrl": "https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete/archive/master.zip",
        "host": "github",
        "name": "ajax-autocomplete",
        "websiteUrl": "https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete"
      },
      "furtherReadingArticles": [
        {
          "excerpt": "Learn how to make native dropdowns using the new HTML5 datalist element.",
          "permalink": "http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/creating-autocomplete-dropdowns-datalist-element",
          "title": "Creating Autocomplete Dropdowns with the Datalist Element",
          "websiteName": "Treehouse Blog"
        }
      ],
      "prerequisiteArticles": [
        {
          "excerpt": "Learn how to use the HTML input element.",
          "permalink": "http://webcode.how/how-to-make-an-html-input-element",
          "title": "How to Make an Input Element",
          "websiteName": "WebCode.How"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "paging": {
    "next": "http://api.webcode.how/articles?limit=25&until=1364849754"
    "previous": "http://api.webcode.how/articles?limit=25&since=1364587774"
  }
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<data>
  <article>
    <id>1</id>
    <content>In 2008, Google officially released autocomplete and forever...</content>
    <demoUrl>http://demo.webcode.how/ajax-autocomplete</demoUrl>
    <excerpt>Learn how to make a simple AJAX-loading dynamic...</excerpt>
    <slug>how-to-make-an-ajax-autocomplete-for-a-search-input</slug>
    <syntax>javascript</syntax>
    <title>How To Make An Ajax Autocomplete For A Search Input</title>
    <author>
      <id>3</id>
      <name>Dean Papastrat</name>
      <pictureUrl>http://cdn.webcode.how/3ijofscior.jpg</pictureUrl>
    </author>
    <browserSupport>
      <browsers>
        <browser>
          <minimumVersion>21</minimumVersion>
          <type>chrome</type>
        </browser>
      </browsers>
      <compatibilityTableUrl>http://caniuse.com/input</compatibilityTableUrl>
    </browserSupport>
    <demoRepository>
      <downloadUrl>https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete/archive/master.zip</downloadUrl>
      <host>github</host>
      <name>ajax-autocomplete</name>
      <websiteUrl>https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete</websiteUrl>
    </demoRepository>
    <furtherReadingArticles>
      <condensedArticle>
        <excerpt>Learn how to make native dropdowns using the new HTML5 datalist element.</excerpt>
        <permalink>http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/creating-autocomplete-dropdowns-datalist-element</permalink>
        <title>Creating Autocomplete Dropdowns with the Datalist Element</title>
        <websiteName>Treehouse Blog</websiteName>
      </condensedArticle>
    </furtherReadingArticles>
    <prerequisiteArticles>
      <condensedArticle>
        <excerpt>Learn how to use the HTML input element.</excerpt>
        <permalink>http://webcode.how/how-to-make-an-html-input-element</permalink>
        <title>How to Make an Input Element</title>
        <websiteName>WebCode.How</websiteName>
      </condensedArticle>
    </prerequisiteArticles>
  </article>
</data>
<paging>
  <next>http://api.webcode.how/articles?limit=25&until=1364849754</next>
  <previous>http://api.webcode.how/articles?limit=25&since=1364587774</previous>
</paging>

This endpoint retrieves all articles, ordered by the date they were published.

HTTP Request

GET http://api.webcode.how/articles

URL Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
format	String	json	Format to return; one of: ["json", "xml"]
limit	Integer	25	Number of articles to return, from 1 to 50
since	Unix Timestamp	null	Unix timestamp all articles returned must be published after
until	Unix Timestamp	null	Unix timestamp all articles returned must be published before

Response Model [CursoredData[Article]]

Field	Type	Description
data	Array[Article]	Array of Article objects; see /articles/ID or Slug. Empty if no articles match.
paging	Paging	Contains metadata for paging over articles

Paging Object

Field	Type	Description
next	String[URI]	Link to next page of articles. Null if no next page.
previous	String[URI]	Link to previous page of articles. Null if no previous page.

Get An Article

{
  "id": 1,
  "content": "In 2008, Google officially released autocomplete and forever...",
  "demoUrl": "http://demo.webcode.how/ajax-autocomplete",
  "excerpt": "Learn how to make a simple AJAX-loading dynamic...",
  "permalink": "http://webcode.how/how-to-make-an-ajax-autocomplete-for-a-search-input",
  "slug": "how-to-make-an-ajax-autocomplete-for-a-search-input",
  "syntax": "javascript",
  "title": "How To Make An Ajax Autocomplete For A Search Input",
  "author": {
    "id": 3,
    "name": "Dean Papastrat",
    "pictureUrl": "http://cdn.webcode.how/3ijofscior.jpg"
  },
  "browserSupport": {
    "browsers": [
      {
        "minimumVersion": "21",
        "type": "chrome"
      }
    ],
    "compatibilityTableUrl": "http://caniuse.com/input",
  },
  "demoRepository": {
    "downloadUrl": "https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete/archive/master.zip",
    "host": "github",
    "name": "ajax-autocomplete",
    "websiteUrl": "https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete"
  },
  "furtherReadingArticles": [
    {
      "excerpt": "Learn how to make native dropdowns using the new HTML5 datalist element.",
      "permalink": "http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/creating-autocomplete-dropdowns-datalist-element",
      "title": "Creating Autocomplete Dropdowns with the Datalist Element",
      "websiteName": "Treehouse Blog"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisiteArticles": [
    {
      "excerpt": "Learn how to use the HTML input element.",
      "permalink": "http://webcode.how/how-to-make-an-html-input-element",
      "title": "How to Make an Input Element",
      "websiteName": "WebCode.How"
    }
  ]
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<article>
  <id>1</id>
  <content>In 2008, Google officially released autocomplete and forever...</content>
  <demoUrl>http://demo.webcode.how/ajax-autocomplete</demoUrl>
  <excerpt>Learn how to make a simple AJAX-loading dynamic...</excerpt>
  <slug>how-to-make-an-ajax-autocomplete-for-a-search-input</slug>
  <syntax>javascript</syntax>
  <title>How To Make An Ajax Autocomplete For A Search Input</title>
  <author>
    <id>3</id>
    <name>Dean Papastrat</name>
    <pictureUrl>http://cdn.webcode.how/3ijofscior.jpg</pictureUrl>
  </author>
  <browserSupport>
    <browsers>
      <browser>
        <minimumVersion>21</minimumVersion>
        <type>chrome</type>
      </browser>
    </browsers>
    <compatibilityTableUrl>http://caniuse.com/input</compatibilityTableUrl>
  </browserSupport>
  <demoRepository>
    <downloadUrl>https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete/archive/master.zip</downloadUrl>
    <host>github</host>
    <name>ajax-autocomplete</name>
    <websiteUrl>https://github.com/WebCode-How/ajax-autocomplete</websiteUrl>
  </demoRepository>
  <furtherReadingArticles>
    <condensedArticle>
      <excerpt>Learn how to make native dropdowns using the new HTML5 datalist element.</excerpt>
      <permalink>http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/creating-autocomplete-dropdowns-datalist-element</permalink>
      <title>Creating Autocomplete Dropdowns with the Datalist Element</title>
      <websiteName>Treehouse Blog</websiteName>
    </condensedArticle>
  </furtherReadingArticles>
  <prerequisiteArticles>
    <condensedArticle>
      <excerpt>Learn how to use the HTML input element.</excerpt>
      <permalink>http://webcode.how/how-to-make-an-html-input-element</permalink>
      <title>How to Make an Input Element</title>
      <websiteName>WebCode.How</websiteName>
    </condensedArticle>
  </prerequisiteArticles>
</article>

This endpoint retrieves an article.

HTTP Request

GET http://api.webcode.how/articles/<id|slug>

URL Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
id	Integer	The ID of the article to retrieve
format	String	json	Format to return; one of: ["json", "xml"]
slug	String	The Slug of the article to retrieve

Response Model [Article]

Field	Type	Description
id	Integer	Unique integer representing article
content	String[HTML]	Tutorial content of article
demoUrl	String[URI]	Link to demo page for article
excerpt	String	Under 255 character summary of article
permalink	String[URI]	Link to article
slug	String	SEO-optimized unique identifier for article, used in permalink
syntax	String	Language the article was written for; One of: ["javascript", "coffeescript", "typescript", "jquery"]
title	String	Name of article
author	Author	Object representing who wrote the article
browserSupport	BrowserSupport	Object representing support of browser features used in article
demoRepository	Repository	Object representing the repository with sample code for article
furtherReadingArticles	Array[CondensedArticle]	Array of articles to read after finishing article
prerequisiteArticles	Array[CondensedArticle]	Array of articles indicating prior knowledge needed

Author Object

Field	Type	Description
id	Integer	Unique integer representing author
name	String	Name of author
pictureUrl	String[URI]	Link to a picture of author

Browser Object

Field	Type	Description
minimumVersion	String	Min. browser version for support of article's syntax
type	String	Unique identifier representing browser

BrowserSupport Object

Field	Type	Description
browsers	Array[Browser]	Array of objects representing browsers supported by tutorial
compatibilityTableUrl	String[URI]	Link to chart showing support of features used

CondensedArticle Object

Field	Type	Description
excerpt	String	Under 255 character summary of article
permalink	String[URI]	Link to article
title	String	Name of article
websiteName	String	Name of the website the article is on

Repository Object

Field	Type	Description
downloadUrl	String[URI]	Link to download the repository
host	String	Name of the repository host
name	String	Name of repository
websiteUrl	String[URI]	Link to the webpage for the repository

Search

Query WebCode.How

{
  "data": [
    {
      "description": "Learn how to make a simple AJAX-loading dynamic...",
      "permalink": "http://webcode.how/how-to-make-an-autocomplete-for-a-search-input",
      "title": "How To Make An Ajax Autocomplete For A Search Input",
      "type": "article"
    }
  ],
  "paging": {
    "next": "http://api.webcode.how/search?q=myquery&limit=25&before=10"
    "previous": "http://api.webcode.how/search?q=myquery&limit=25&after=20"
  }
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<data>
  <searchItem>
    <description>Learn how to make a simple AJAX-loading dynamic...</description>
    <permalink>http://webcode.how/how-to-make-an-autocomplete-for-a-search-input</permalink>
    <title>How To Make An Ajax Autocomplete For A Search Input</title>
    <type>article</type>
  </searchItem>
</data>
<paging>
  <next>http://api.webcode.how/search?q=myquery&limit=25&before=10</next>
  <previous>http://api.webcode.how/search?q=myquery&limit=25&after=20</previous>
</paging>

This endpoint searches WebCode.How's articles, ordered by relevance. Author support is roadmapped.

HTTP Request

GET http://api.webcode.how/search?q=<Slug|ID>

URL Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
format	String	json	Format to return; one of: ["json", "xml"]
q	String	Search string to query for

Response Model

Response Model [CursoredData[SearchItem]]

Field	Type	Description
data	Array[SearchItem]	Array of Search Items
paging	Paging	Contains metadata for paging over articles

Paging Object

Field	Type	Description
next	String[URI]	Link to next page of articles. Null if no next page.
previous	String[URI]	Link to previous page of articles. Null if no previous page.

Search Item

Field	Type	Description
description	String	Under 255 character description of search item, such as a bio or excerpt
title	String	Under 255 character title of search item
permalink	String[URI]	Link to the full resource for search item
type	String	Type of result; One of: ["author", "article"]

Errors

The WebCode.How API uses the following error codes to give context to why requests failed.

Please review the codes and try to resolve issues on your own before contacting us. You can check our status page at status.webcode.how to see if there's a larger issue affecting multiple clients.

Our status page checks all of our endpoints, so you can see if a particular endpoint is having issues.

Client Errors

{
  "error": {
    "code": 400,
    "message": "Bad Request: Your request is invalid"
  }
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<error>
  <code>400</code>
  <message>Bad Request: Your request is invalid</message>
</error>

If you get a 400-series error code, it's an issue on your end. Please review documentation on the endpoints you're using as well as your own code before filing an issue.

Error Code	Meaning
400	Bad Request -- Your request is invalid.
403	Forbidden -- You are not allowed to access the resource.
404	Not Found -- Requested object could not be found.
405	Method Not Allowed
410	Gone -- Request object has been deleted.
415	Unsupported Type -- Request not available in the given format.
418	I'm a Teapot -- Pour yourself some tea over at /teapot.
429	Too Many Requests -- You have made too many requests in too short of a time.
451	Blocked for Legal Reasons -- Request object has been denied because of legal issues.

Server Errors

{
  "error": {
    "code": 500,
    "message": "Internal Server Error: Could not respond"
  }
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<error>
  <code>500</code>
  <message>Internal Server Error: Could not respond</message>
</error>

If you get a 500-series error code, it's an issue on our end. We review erorr logs frequently and will attempt to resolve them as fast as possible.

Error Code	Meaning
500	Internal Server Error -- We had a problem with our server. Try again later.
501	Not Implemented -- This endpoint has not been implemented. Submit a request to info@webcode.how for more info.
502	Bad Gateway -- Our load balancers are having issues. Please try again with exponential backoff.
503	Service Unavailable -- Our servers are down. Please try again with exponential backoff.
504	Timeout -- Our servers are having a hard time keeping up with load. Please try again with exponential backoff.