Get started with the REDCap API

• Overview
• Choose or create a software client
• Get a REDCap API token
• Revoke API tokens
• Learn how to create custom software clients

Overview

The REDCap application programming interface (API) is a RESTful web service for developing software clients capable of storing and retrieving data from IU REDCap. REDCap API software clients use one or more REDCap API tokens (32-character hex strings) to authenticate to REDCap on behalf of its users. Each API token is specific to a single user's privileges in a single REDCap project.

Choose or create a software client

To access IU REDCap via the API, you can use an existing software client, such as the REDCap Mobile app or Tableau, or you can develop a custom software client using a variety of programming languages.

The REDCap Mobile app for Android and iOS devices lets you enter data that will later be synchronized with REDCap. The app has less functionality than REDCap and involves more steps to prepare and upload your data, but it allows data collection when internet service is unavailable, unreliable, or expensive. The app uses REDCap API tokens to synchronize data with REDCap.

Tableau, a tool for data visualization, dashboards, and discovery, can use the REDCap API to read data directly from REDCap. For help, see Use your IU REDCap project as a data source in Tableau.

Get a REDCap API token

To get a REDCap API token:

1. Fill out and submit the request:
   • If you plan to use the REDCap Mobile app, use the REDCap Mobile App -- API Token Pre-Approval Request.
   • If you plan to use Tableau or create a custom API software client, submit the IU REDCap -- API Token Pre-Approval Request.
   Note:

   If someone else already has submitted a pre-approval request on behalf of your project, you can continue to the next step to request the API token itself.
2. When your pre-approval request is accepted, in IU REDCap, navigate to the project for which you are requesting the API token, click API in the left column, and then click Request API token.

Revoke API tokens

To reduce the risk of inappropriate access to REDCap data, you are required to revoke API tokens that are no longer in use.

When an API token is no longer needed:

1. In your IU REDCap project, click API in the left column.
2. On the Manage All Project Tokens tab, click the red X corresponding to the user whose API token should be revoked.

Learn how to create custom software clients

Resources to help you learn how to use the REDCap API are available within REDCap and from the REDCap community:

• REDCap API documentation is accessible from any IU REDCap project; click API in the left column, and then click REDCap API documentation. Alternatively, access the documentation directly here.
• To experiment with the REDCap API and explore sample codes in a variety of languages, access the REDCap API "playground" from any IU REDCap project; click API Playground in the left column.
• The REDCap Tools community shares reusable libraries, links to common resources, and code samples on its Projects page.