API requests and responses

API requests (submitted to an API endpoint) tell the endpoint to do something. Once the request is processed, the API endpoint sends a response.

To make API requests, you must know the HTTP method, URL path, and parameters for the endpoint that you want to use.

An API request consists of the combination of the following:

HTTP method + URL path of the endpoint + request parameters

An HTTP method is the operation that you want the endpoint to execute. REST HTTP methods⁠(opens in a new tab or window) can be:

• POST (create)
• GET (read)
• PUT (update/replace)
• PATCH (update/modify)
• DELETE (delete).

The URL path is the HTTP URL where the endpoint can be accessed.

Use the --request flag followed by the HTTP method and the URL path.

For example, the HTTP method for generating an access token is POST and the URL path for the endpoint is https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/oauth/token. The curl request for generating an access token looks like the following:

curl --request POST 'https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/oauth/token'

Request parameters are the options that you can pass to the endpoints to influence the response. Parameters help single out the data that you want to receive from the endpoint. Most requests need you to pass parameters and their values.

Parameters can be of the following types:

• required (the request cannot go through without the parameter)
• optional (the parameter value is supplemented with the default value)

We use the following parameters in Canva REST APIs:

Path parameters are a part of the endpoint itself. They are usually formatted with curly braces and are required.

For example, the path parameter for getting folder information from the Connect API folder endpoint is {folderID}.

The curl request is:

curl --request GET 'https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/folders/{folderId}' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer {token}'

Query parameters are included in the query string of the endpoint. A query string starts with ? and lists parameters one after another, separated by &.

For example, the required query parameters for the Connect API /authorize endpoint are code_challenge, code_challenge_method, and so on. The URL path becomes:

https://www.canva.com/api/oauth/authorize?code_challenge=<code challenge string>&code_challenge_method=s256...

Header parameters are included in the HTTP request headers. They include information such as the authorization, connection type, proxies, and content type of the request.

When using curl, use the --header flag followed by the header in key:value format.

For example, the header parameter for the Connect API /token endpoint is Content-Type with the value application/x-www-form-urlencoded.

The curl request becomes:

curl --request POST 'https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/oauth/token' \
--header 'Content-Type:application/x-www-form-urlencoded'

Body parameters are included in the request body, and are used to send data to the API endpoints. These parameters are usually sent as JSON objects in POST, PUT, or PATCH requests.

When using curl, use the --data-<type> flag followed by the parameter in the parameter=value format.

For example, the body parameters for the Connect API /token endpoint are grant_type, code_verifier, code, and so on.

The curl request becomes:

curl --request POST 'https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/oauth/token' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
--data-urlencode 'grant_type=authorization_code' \
--data-urlencode 'code_verifier=<code verifier>' \
...

API responses indicate whether an API request was successful. A response consists of an HTTP response status code and a response body that includes either a successful response or an error response.

An API response consists of the combination of the following:

HTTP response status code + response body (success response or error response)

HTTP response status codes⁠(opens in a new tab or window) indicate whether your request was successful. They include the following types:

Many requests return a response body in JSON format. The responses can include the following types:

If your API request has completed successfully, you'll receive a success response that includes the required properties, usually in JSON format.

For example, the success response for the Connect API /token endpoint is:

{
  "access_token": "...",
  "token_type": "bearer",
  "expires_in": "...",
  "scope": "...",
  "refresh_token": "..."
}

If your API request doesn't complete successfully, you'll get an error response that consists of the following:

• Error HTTP status code
• Error code (usually includes different information to the status code)
• Error message

For example, an error response can look like this:

HTTP 404

{
  "code": "design_not_found",
  "message": "Design with id 'ABCD' not found"
}