The WordPress JSON REST API

One of the most exciting changes coming in WordPress 4.1 is the addition of a JSON REST API. Rachel Baker and Ryan McCue will be presenting on WP-API, the current plugin-based version of the API. Through the use of the plugin, developers and users can begin using the API today, with backwards compatibility assured in the future.

This talk will introduce WP-API, and give an introduction on how to interact with it to programmatically communicate with your WordPress site from other WordPress sites or other applications. Using the API you can interact with resources such as:

- posts
- pages
- media
- taxonomies
- users

Learn how to:
- authenticate using basic or OAuth authentication
- retrieve resources using GET requests
- create or edit resources using POST requests

Transcript

1. The WordPress
 JSON REST API Rachel Baker @rachelbaker WC Milwaukee 2014 Ryan McCue @rmccue
2. wp-api.org
3. Meet the Team
4. What is the REST API?
5. Three Parts:
 “JSON REST API”
6. JSON { "ID": 4, "title": "My Awesome Post", "content": "This is my awesome content!" } JavaScript Object Notation • Supported by basically everything • Human readable • Standard
7. REST Actions applied to Resources Create POST Read GET Update PUT Delete DELETE Uses HTTP actions: Representational State Transfer
8. REST Representational State Transfer /posts /posts/4 /posts /posts/4 /posts/4 GET GET POST PUT DELETE Action
 (Verb) Resource
 (Object)
9. API Application Programming Interface A way to access and manipulate your data
10. API Or extend as needed! GET POST PUT DELETE Posts ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Pages ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Custom Post Types ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Post Meta ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Media ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Comments ✔ ✔ Taxonomies/Terms ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Users ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
11. Why do we need it?
12. XML-RPC Hugely complicated: (WordPress for iPhone Trac)
13. Jetpack API Easy for developers Works with Javascript easily (JSON-based)
 Requires Jetpack active Depends on WordPress.com Does not work for local development Cannot control access to certain apps
14. How do we use it?
15. { "name": "WP API Dev", "description": "Just another WordPress site", "URL": "http://local.wpapi.dev", "routes": {}, "authentication": [], "meta": {} } /wp-json/ GET
16. [{ "ID": 110, "title": "Testing sticky", "status": "publish", "type": "post", "author": {}, "content": "<p>this should be stuck as a post. Stuck on you.</p>\n", "link": "http://local.wpapi.dev/testing-sticky/", "date": "2014-06-02T10:47:39-05:00", "modified": "2014-06-02T10:47:39-05:00", "format": "standard", "slug": "testing-sticky-2", "guid": "http://local.wpapi.dev/testing-sticky-2/", "excerpt": "<p>this should be stuck as a post. Stuck on you.</p>\n”, "comment_status": "open", "sticky": true, "meta": {}, "featured_image": null, "terms": {} }] /wp-json/posts GET
17. [{ "name": "Categories", "slug": "category", "labels": {}, "types": {}, "show_cloud": true, "hierarchical": true, "meta": {} },{ "name": "Tags", "slug": "post_tag", "labels": {}, "types": {}, "show_cloud": true, "hierarchical": false, "meta": {} },] /wp-json/taxonomies GET
18. [{ "ID": 121, "title": "puppies", "type": "attachment", "author": {}, "content": "<p class=\"attachment\"><a href='http://local.wpapi.dev/wp- content/uploads/2014/07/puppies.jpeg'><img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"http://local.wpapi.dev/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ puppies-300x225.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium\" alt=\"puppies\" /></ a></p>\n", "link": "http://local.wpapi.dev/?attachment_id=121", "date": "2014-07-25T17:07:02-05:00", "modified": "2014-07-25T17:07:02-05:00", "slug": "puppies", "guid": "http://local.wpapi.dev/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/puppies.jpeg", "meta": {}, "terms": [], "attachment_meta": { "width": 1600, "height": 1200, "file": "2014/07/puppies.jpeg", "sizes": {}, "image_meta": {} }] /wp-json/media GET
19. { "ID": 1, "title": "Hello World!", "status": "publish", "type": "post", "author": {}, "content": "<p>Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!</p>\n", "link": "http://local.wpapi.dev/hello-world/", "date": "2014-04-18T15:14:46-05:00", "modified": "2014-05-02T01:26:30-05:00", "format": "standard", "slug": "hello-world", "guid": "http://local.wpapi.dev/?p=1", "excerpt": "<p>Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!</p>\n", "comment_status": "open", "meta": {}, "featured_image": null, "terms": {} } /wp-json/posts/1 GET
20. [{ "ID": 1, "post": 1, "content": "<p>Hi, this is a comment.<br />\nTo delete a comment, just log in and view the post&#039;s comments. There you will have the option to edit or delete them.</p>\n", "status": "approved", "type": "comment", "author": { "ID": 0, "name": "Mr WordPress", "URL": "https://wordpress.org/", "avatar": "http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/ ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96" }, "date": "2014-04-18T15:14:46-05:00", "meta": { "links": { "up": "http://local.wpapi.dev/wp-json/posts/1", "self": "http://local.wpapi.dev/wp-json/posts/1/comments/1" }}}] /wp-json/posts/1/comments GET
21. [{ "code": "json_user_cannot_list", "message": "Sorry, you are not allowed to list users." }] /wp-json/users GET GET /wp-json/posts/1/meta [{ "code": "json_cannot_edit", "message": "Sorry, you cannot edit this post” }]
22. curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d ' { "title":"Bears Beat the Packers ", "content_raw":"<p>In the coldest game in recorded Bears history, the Packers traveled to Soldier Field, where a victory against the Bears would have ended their playoff hopes. The Bears had to rally from a 14–3 score at the half. The Bears were able to score after a turnover on a Packers punt return. The Packers were on the verge of finishing a game-winning drive when Mason Crosby\u2019s field goal attempt was blocked by Alex Brown, pushing the game to overtime. The Bears took the first possession in overtime and won the game on a 38-yard field goal by Robbie Gould.<\/p>", "status": "publish" "sticky": true, "post_meta" : [ { "key" : "game_score", "value" : "20-17" }, { "key" : "game_victor", "value" : "Chicago Bears" } ] } ' -u admin:password http://local.wpapi.dev/wp-json/posts/ /wp-json/posts GET POST Request Basic Auth
23. curl -X PUT -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d ' { "name":"Rachel Baker", "first_name":"Rachel", "last_name": “Baker", "nickname": “rachelbaker", "email": “rachel\u0040rachelbaker.me" } ' -u admin:password http://local.wpapi.dev/wp-json/users/1/ /wp-json/users/1 GET POST Request Basic Auth PUT
24. Where could we use it?
25. Use Cases: Perform CRUD operations 
 on the client-side Backbone.js themes or plugins ! Receiving and populating content for “infinite scrolling” 
 Form validation and submissions
 
 Front-end content editing
26. Use Cases: Perform CRUD operations 
 on another WordPress site Display content from a separate WordPress site ! Display content from another site within a multisite network ! Manage (create, update, delete) content on a separate WordPress site or another site 
 within a multisite network
27. Use Cases: Break your content free 
 from WordPress Display and manage your content in a mobile application ! Integrate your content with other 
 application platforms ! Integrate other application platforms with your WordPress site
28. Where can we learn more?
29. Resources JSON REST API Plugin:
 https://github.com/WP-API/WP-API ! OAuth1 Authentication Plugin: 
 https://github.com/WP-API/OAuth1
 Basic Authentication Plugin: 
 https://github.com/WP-API/Basic-Auth ! API Console:
 https://github.com/WP-API/api-console JSON REST API
30. Resources JS Client:
 https://github.com/WP-API/client-js ! PHP Client: 
 https://github.com/WP-API/client-php 
 WP-CLI Client: 
 https://github.com/WP-API/client-cli JSON REST API Clients
31. Resources More about REST:
 http://www.restapitutorial.com/lessons/ whatisrest.html ! Postman HTTP Chrome Plugin:
 http://www.getpostman.com/ ! Paw HTTP App for OSX:
 http://luckymarmot.com/paw REST Information and Tools
32. Have questions? Rachel Baker @rachelbaker Ryan McCue @rmccue wp-api.org github.com/WP-API/WP-API speakerdeck.com/rmccue/wcmke2014 speakerdeck.com/rachelbaker/the-wordpress-json-rest-api