Create a dashboard using REST API endpoints

Create and manage dashboards across environments using REST API endpoints, enabling seamless transitions from testing to production, and supporting read, update, and delete operations.

Create or replicate dashboards from different environments using the data/ui/views REST API endpoint. For example, you can move a dashboard from a testing environment to production with the REST API endpoint. The REST API endpoints can also read, update, and delete dashboards.

Format the dashboard definition

When creating a dashboard using REST API endpoints, the components of a dashboard definition must follow a specific format.

Root node

The root node must be <dashboard version="2">, which indicates the dashboard is a Studio dashboard. You can also specify the theme as "light" or "dark" with the theme attribute in the root node. The following is an example of a root node.

CODE 
<dashboard version="2" theme="dark">

Label

Title your dashboard with the label. The following is an example of a label.

CODE 
<label>Sample Dashboard</label>

Description

Provide extra context about your dashboard with the description. The following is an example of a description.

CODE 
<description>Sample Description</description>

Definition

The dashboard's JSON definition must be wrapped in <![CDATA[ … ]]>. The following is an example of how a <![CDATA[ … ]]> wraps around a dashboard JSON definition.

CODE 
<definition><![CDATA[
  {
    <JSON definition here>
  }
 ]]></definition>

Meta type

Hide different elements with the meta type. The meta type must be <meta type="hiddenElements">. All hidden elements apply only to View mode and must be contained in JSON wrapped in <![CDATA[ … ]]>.

  • Set hideEdit to "true" to hide the Edit button.
  • Set hideOpenInSearch to "true" to remove the ability to open and edit a query in the full Search experience.
  • Set hideExport to "true" to remove the ability to export dashboards.

The following is a meta type example.

JSON 
<meta type="hiddenElements"><![CDATA[
  {
    "hideEdit": false,
    "hideOpenInSearch": false,
    "hideExport": false
  }
]]></meta>

Create a dashboard

You can create a dashboard with the following steps.

  1. Write your initial REST command. The command uses the following structure: https://<host>:<mPort>/servicesNS/<user>/<app_name>/data/ui/views. For example, your REST command might look like the following:
    CODE 
    curl -k -u admin:pass https://localhost:8089/servicesNS/admin/search/data/ui/views \
  2. Write your header request parameter. For example, your header request parameter might look like the following:
    CODE 
    --header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
  3. Write the name data request parameter with the ID of your dashboard. For example, your request parameter might look like the following:
    CODE 
    --data-urlencode 'name=sample_dashboard' \
  4. Write the eai:data data request parameter. For example, your request parameter might look like the following:
    CODE 
    --data-urlencode 'eai:data=
<dashboard version="2" theme="dark">

Example of creating a dashboard using REST API endpoints

The following example shows how to create a dashboard using the /data/ui/views endpoint.

JSON 
curl -k -u admin:pass https://localhost:8089/servicesNS/admin/search/data/ui/views \
--header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
--data-urlencode 'name=sample_dashboard' \
--data-urlencode 'eai:data=
<dashboard version="2" theme="dark">
   <label>Sample Dashboard</label>
   <description>Sample Description</description>
   <definition><![CDATA[
{
    "title": "Sample Dashboard",
    "description": "",
    "inputs": {
        "input_global_trp": {
            "options": {
                "defaultValue": "-24h@h,now",
                "token": "global_time"
            },
            "title": "Global Time Range",
            "type": "input.timerange"
        }
    },
    "defaults": {
        "dataSources": {
            "ds.search": {
                "options": {
                    "queryParameters": {
                        "earliest": "$global_time.earliest$",
                        "latest": "$global_time.latest$"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "visualizations": {
        "viz_FjzwMaVe": {
            "dataSources": {
                "primary": "ds_nPeRRFId"
            },
            "options": {},
            "type": "splunk.singlevalue"
        }
    },
    "dataSources": {
        "ds_nPeRRFId": {
            "name": "Search_1",
            "options": {
                "query": "index=_internal \n| stats count"
            },
            "type": "ds.search"
        }
    },
    "layout": {
        "globalInputs": [
            "input_global_trp"
        ],
        "layoutDefinitions": {
            "layout_1": {
                "options": {
                    "height": 960,
                    "width": 1440
                },
                "structure": [
                    {
                        "item": "viz_FjzwMaVe",
                        "position": {
                            "h": 250,
                            "w": 250,
                            "x": 0,
                            "y": 0
                        },
                        "type": "block"
                    }
                ],
                "type": "absolute"
            }
        },
        "tabs": {
            "items": [
                {
                    "label": "New tab",
                    "layoutId": "layout_1"
                }
            ]
        }
    }
}
   ]]></definition>
   <meta type="hiddenElements"><![CDATA[
{
   "hideEdit": false,
   "hideOpenInSearch": false,
   "hideExport": false
}
   ]]></meta>
</dashboard>'

Reading, updating, and deleting a dashboard

You can pull, update, and delete your dashboard using GET, POST, and DELETE HTTP methods. For more details, see data/ui/views/{name} in the REST API Reference manual.