EasyBib’s API allows third-parties to access all the data contained in EasyBib’s data store. Authentication is handled using OAuth2. The following descibes how to get access.
OAuth2 is a protocol that lets external apps request authorization to private details in a user’s EasyBib account without getting their password. This is preferred over Basic Authentication because tokens can be limited to specific types of data, and can be revoked by users at any time.
All developers need to register their application before getting started. The information can be filled as it suits, except the Redirect URL.
The redirect URL is the callback URL that EasyBib will return the the user to after successful authentication.
A registered OAuth application is assigned the following values:
Please note: The Client Secret should not be shared.
You can use any OAuth2 library for your favorite language available. For an up-to-date list of client libraries, please refer to the oauth.net website.
The advantage of using a library is that you will only have to configure the OAuth2 URLs in your client and the rest happens automatically for you.
The URLs are as follows:
Read on only if you're either interested in OAuth2 or have to implement your own client.
GET https://id.easybib.com/oauth/authorize
This request is usually happens in the user's browser.
response_type Required string
Has to be of value code
client_id Required string
The client ID you received from EasyBib when you registered.
redirect_uri Optional string
URL in your app where users will be sent after authorization. See details below about redirect urls.
scope Optional string
Space separated list of scopes. Default scope: USER_READ, read more about scopes
state Optional string
An unguessable random string. It is used to protect against cross-site request forgery attacks.
If the user accepts your request, EasyBib redirects back to your redirect URL with a temporary code in a code parameter as well as the state you provided in the previous step in a state parameter. If the states don’t match, the request has been created by a third party and the process should be aborted.
GET https://your-site.com/authorized?code={code}&state={state}
If the user did not accept your request, EasyBib redirects back to your redirect URL with an error access_denied
GET https://your-site.com/authorized?error=access_denied&error_description=The+user+denied+access+to+your+application
Exchange this for an access token:
POST https://id.easybib.com/oauth/token
This request is done server to server:
curl -X POST \
https://id.easybib.com/oauth/token \
-d 'grant_type=authorization_code&code=...&client_id=...&client_secret=...'
grant_type Required string
Has to be value authorization_code
code Required string
The code you received as a response to Step 1.
client_id Required string
The client ID you received from EasyBib when you registered.
client_secret Required string
The client secret you received from EasyBib when you registered.
redirect_uri Required string
URL in your app where users will be sent after authorization.
By default, the response will take the following form:
{
"access_token":"3e2de69ee40b74eee3d00a07f54d2c7d7ba5efbe",
"expires_in":3600,
"token_type":"bearer",
"scope":"USER_READ DATA_READ",
"refresh_token":"c1dc1403dfddac1cab6d0a0c6f9c71da3e8b50f1"
}
The access token allows you to make requests to the API on a behalf of a user.
GET requestsGET https://data.easybib.com/user/?access_token=...
POST, PUT, DELETE and PATCH requestsPOST https://data.easybib.com/projects/
AUTHORIZATION Required string
Has to be value Bearer access_token
Read more about how to integrate the api in the next chapter.
The access token has only a relatively short lifetime before it expires. This is due to it's nature as it is send openly with every request and it could be intercepted.
When you get the message:
{"error":"invalid_grant","error_description":"The access token provided has expired"}
You have to catch this and get a new access_token by using the refresh_token first.
POST https://id.easybib.com/oauth/token
grant_type Required string
Has to be value refresh_token
refresh_token Required string
The refresh token you received with the first access token
client_id Required string
The client ID you received from EasyBib when you registered.
client_secret Required string
The client secret you received from EasyBib when you registered.
The response will bring a fresh access token
{
"access_token":"cc0d632e7be14bae03f9384accefadc1fc868b81",
"expires_in":3600,
"token_type":"bearer",
"scope":"USER_READ DATA_READ"
}
With this new access token you can continue sending requests.
The OAuth2 error responses have always the same format with error defining the type of errer and error_description being more detailed about the missing requirements.
Example:
{
"error":"invalid_grant",
"error_description":"The access token provided has expired"
}
invalid_request
The request is missing a required parameter, includes an unsupported parameter value (other than grant type), repeats a parameter, includes multiple credentials, utilizes more than one mechanism for authenticating the client, or is otherwise malformed.
Possible detailing desciptions:
code (see Step 1)authorization_code or refresh_tokeninvalid_grant
The provided authorization grant (e.g., authorization code, resource owner credentials) or refresh token is invalid, expired, revoked, does not match the redirection URI used in the authorization request, or was issued to another client.
Possible detailing desciptions:
invalid_client
Client authentication failed (e.g., unknown client, no client authentication included, or unsupported authentication method).
insufficient_scope
invalid_uri
access_denied
invalid_scope
The requested scope is invalid, unknown, malformed, or exceeds the scope granted by the resource owner.
Scopes let you specify exactly what type of access you need. Scopes limit access for OAuth tokens. They do not grant any additional permission beyond that which the user already has.
The scopes the client can request an access token for are limited by the selected ones at the client registration.
For the web flow, requested scopes will be displayed to the user on the authorize form.
(no scope)
The default scope(s) will be set for the token. USER_READ DATA_READ
USER_READ and USER_READ_WRITE
The two scopes allow access to users data. To discover what you can request the following:
GET https://data.easybib.com/user/
DATA_READ
All DATA_* scopes allow access to projects, citations and comments. To discover what you can request the following:
GET https://data.easybib.com/projects/
DATA_READ_WRITE
Expands the DATA_READ scope for HTTP methods POST, PUT, DELETE and PATCH