API | SurrealDB Docs

Function	Description
`api::invoke()`	Invokes an `/api` endpoint and returns the result
`api::timeout()`	Middleware to set a timeout for requests made to a defined API endpoint
`api::req::body()`	Middleware to set the body type for an API endpoint request
`api::res::body()`	Middleware to set the body type for an API endpoint response
`api::res::header()`	Middleware to add a single header to an API endpoint response
`api::res::headers()`	Middleware to adds multiple headers to an API endpoint response
`api::res::status()`	Middleware to set the status for an API endpoint response
`Custom middleware`	Middleware to set the status for an API endpoint response

Overview

API functions are passed in as middleware inside a DEFINE API or DEFINE CONFIG API statement and called a request is received.

The only API function intended for use in regular queries is the api::invoke function, which is used to test API endpoints instead of as middleware.

The signatures for all other functions are presented here are from the point of view of the user. For example, the api::timeout function takes a single duration.

api::timeout(duration)

In practice, two extra arguments are passed in to these functions unseen to the user, making this the true signature.

api::timeout($req: object, $next: function, $duration: duration)

For more details on how this works, see this section of the page.

`api::invoke`

API DEFINITION

api::invoke($path: string, $options: option<object>) -> object

The api::invoke function invokes a custom /api endpoint defined using a DEFINE API statement. While a DEFINE API statement creates an API endpoint at the /api/:namespace/:database/:endpoint path, this function is called when a namespace and database have already been decided, necessitating only the final path (such as "/test") for it to be invoked.

The following two examples of the function assume that this DEFINE API statement has been used to set up the "/test" endpoint.

Define API endpoint

DEFINE API "/test"
    FOR get 
        MIDDLEWARE
            api::timeout(1s)
        THEN {
            {
                status: 404,
                body: $request.body,
                headers: { the_time_is_now: <string>time::now() }
            };
        };

Calling the api::invoke function with just a path:

Use defined endpoint

api::invoke("/test");

Output

{
	body: NONE,
    context: {},
	headers: {
		the_time_is_now: '2025-12-25T11:49:30.732Z'
	},
	status: 404
}

Calling the api::invoke function with a path and an object containing a body and headers:

api::invoke("/test", {
    body: <bytes> '{ "a": true }',
    headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        Accept: "application/cbor",
    }
});

Output

{
	body: b"7B202261223A2074727565207D",
    context: {},
	headers: {
		the_time_is_now: '2025-12-25T11:51:18.910Z'
	},
	status: 404
}

For more information and examples, see the page for the DEFINE API statement.

`api::timeout`

The api::timeout function sets the maximum timeout for a request.

API DEFINITION

api::timeout($timeout: duration)

The following example will always return an error because the

Example

DEFINE API "/exceeds_timeout"
    FOR get 
        MIDDLEWARE
            api::timeout(1ns)
        THEN {
            sleep 1ns;
            {}
        };

`api::req::body`

API DEFINITION

api::req::body($path: string, $strategy: option<string>)

This function sets the strategy (the input format) for the endpoint. It can take one of the following strings:

'auto'
'json'
'cbor'
'flatbuffers'
'plain'
'bytes'
'native'

The following example shows an endpoint for each of these strategies, followed by an invocation for each that matches it.

DEFINE API "/body/json" FOR post
    MIDDLEWARE api::req::body("json")
    THEN {{ body: { parsed: $request.body } }};

DEFINE API "/body/cbor" FOR post
    MIDDLEWARE api::req::body("cbor")
    THEN {{ body: { parsed: $request.body } }};

DEFINE API "/body/plain" FOR post
    MIDDLEWARE api::req::body("plain")
    THEN {{ body: { parsed: $request.body } }};

DEFINE API "/body/bytes" FOR post
    MIDDLEWARE api::req::body("bytes")
    THEN {{ body: { parsed: $request.body } }};

DEFINE API "/body/native" FOR post
    MIDDLEWARE api::req::body("native")
    THEN {{ body: { parsed: $request.body } }};

DEFINE API "/body/auto" FOR post
    MIDDLEWARE api::req::body("auto")
    THEN {{ body: { parsed: $request.body } }};

api::invoke("/body/json", {
    method: "post",
    headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
    body: <bytes>'{"name":"billy","billys_number":753}'
});

api::invoke("/body/cbor", {
    method: "post",
    headers: { "content-type": "application/cbor" },
    body: encoding::cbor::encode('CBOR!!')
});

api::invoke("/body/plain", {
    method: "post",
    headers: { "content-type": "text/plain" },
    body: <bytes>'plain text content'
});

api::invoke("/body/bytes", {
    method: "post",
    headers: { "content-type": "application/octet-stream" },
    body: <bytes>'raw bytes'
});

api::invoke("/body/native", {
    method: "post",
    headers: { "content-type": "application/vnd.surrealdb.native" },
    body: { native: "format" }
});

api::invoke("/body/auto", {
    method: "post",
    headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
    body: <bytes>'{"auto":"json"}'
});

api::invoke("/body/auto", {
    method: "post",
    body: <bytes>'some data'
});

`api::res::body`

API DEFINITION

api::res::body($path: string, $strategy: option<string>)

DEFINE API "/serialize_json"
    FOR get
        MIDDLEWARE
            api::res::body("json")
        THEN {
            {
                status: 200,
                body: {
                    message: "Hello"
                }
            };
        };

api::invoke("/serialize_json").{
    body: <string>body, -- Cast response bytes into string
    headers,
    status
};

Response

{ 
    body: '{"message":"Hello"}', 
    headers: { "access-control-allow-origin": '*', "content-type": 'application/json' }, 
    status: 200 
}

`api::res::header`

The api::res::header function sets a single header for a response.

API DEFINITION

api::res::header($header_name: string, $val: value)

Example

DEFINE API "/test"
  FOR get 
    MIDDLEWARE
      api::res::header("country-origin", "CA")
    THEN {
      {
        status: 200,
        headers: {
          "requested-at": <string>time::now()
        },
        body: SELECT * FROM person
      };
    };

`api::res::headers`

The api::res::headers function takes an object to set the headers for a response.

API DEFINITION

api::res::headers($headers: object)

Example

DEFINE API "/test"
    FOR get 
        MIDDLEWARE
            api::res::headers({
                "country-origin": "CA",
                "language": "FR"
            })
        THEN {
            {
                status: 200,
                headers: {
                    "requested-at": <string>time::now()
                },
                body: SELECT * FROM person
            };
        };

`api::res::status`

API DEFINITION

api::res::status($http_code: int)

The api::res::status function adds a status to the response of an API endpoint.

DEFINE API "/always_ok"
    FOR get
        MIDDLEWARE
            api::res::status(200)
        THEN {
            {
                status: 404,
                body: {
                    some: "data"
                }
            };
        };

api::invoke("/always_ok");

Response

{ 
    body: {some: 'data'}, 
    context: {}, 
    headers: {}, 
    status: 200 
}

Setting an invalid HTTP status will result in an error.

DEFINE API "/status/invalid-low"
    FOR get
        MIDDLEWARE
            api::res::status(99)
        THEN {
            RETURN {
                status: 200,
                body: {}
            };
        };

api::invoke("/status/invalid-low");

Response

'Invalid HTTP status code: 99. Must be between 100 and 599'

Custom middleware

A DEFINE FUNCTION statement can be used to define a function for use as custom middleware. For more details on defining a custom function in this manner, see the DEFINE API page.

Structure of API functions

An API function can technically be called in the same way as any other function, as long as the first argument is an object and the second argument is a closure that returns an object. After a MIDDLEWARE clause these arguments will be automatically filled, but dummy arguments can be passed in for practice or testing.

api::res::body({}, || {}, "json").{
    body: <string>body,
    context,
    headers,
    status
};

-- Returns:
{
	body: 'null',
	context: {},
	headers: {
		"content-type": 'application/json'
	},
	status: 200
};

api::res::body({}, || {}, "jsonnn").{
    body: <string>body,
    context,
    headers,
    status
};

-- Returns:
'Failed to decode BodyStrategy, no variants matched'