Extility API

Overview

Although Extility has a powerful GUI, it is itself API driven, and for users wanting to integrate their own applications or services into Extility, this may be the best method. Extility is written with an ‘API first, UI second’ development methodology, so all key functionality is built into the API.

In fact, Extility has three main API endpoints with different functionality, so end-user usage, administration and overall platform management can each be managed from APIs. There are also various internal APIs.

The remainder of this document covers the end user API, as that is what 90% of people want to integrate with. Further information on the other APIs is available from within the Reference Section if you are a registered user.

Using the API

Using the Extility API requires you to have an existing account setup on an Extility platform.

The Extility API allows developers to manage a number of different object types. These are as follows:

• Servers (Virtual Machines)
• Disks
• IP Addresses
• VDCs (Virtual Data Centres)
• VLANs
• Firewalls
• Images
• Snapshots
• Disk Clones

The documentation linked below broadly assumes that you are familiar with Extility and the functionality available.

SOAP

The core messaging technology for the Extility API is Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), which is an XML and HTTP-based protocol with wide support in the industry. The Extility API uses document/literal style SOAP 1.1.

Since the Extility API runs as a web service, you don’t need to install anything extra to use it. The only software you need to have to use the Extility API is the software for the programming language and toolkit that you will be using to write your client programs.

For example, if you intend to write your client programs in Java, you will need to install the Java Development Kit and also a SOAP toolkit such as Axis2.

Documentation

The latest version of the API documentation is available from the Downloads page.