API Toolkit and Guide

LESSONS

1

Museum Data

2

APIs

3

Examples

4

Getting Started

5

Interpretting Data

6

Manipulating Data

Tools

Data Playground

REFERENCES

Resource Guide

Resource Labels

About This Site

LESSON 4 OF 6

Getting started with the HAM API

First, sign up for an API key using this link. Within a few minutes of completing the form, you will receive an email containing a unique code that allows you to access the museum’s data. Be sure to keep your API key private. Each key is unique to the individual requesting it and should be treated like a password.

To retrieve data from the API, you must build queries that tell the API what to look for. A query takes the form of a URL. It consists of multiple components that act as building blocks.

A query to retrieve all of the object data looks like this:

https://api.harvardartmuseums.org/object?apikey=0000-0000-0000-000

Warning: If you try to access the link above, you will see the message “unauthorized”. This is because the API key in the example query is fake. Replace the example API key with your own.

When you go visit a URL query, the unformatted data may look unreadable—try downloading a browser extension that reformats JSON data:

  • JSONview (Google Chrome)
  • JSONview (Microsoft Edge)
  • JSON Peep for Safari (Safari)
  • Basic JSON Formatter (Mozilla Firefox)

    • Before and after installing a JSON reader

    The structure of a query follows a pattern. The four basic components are:

    Harvard Art Museums URL

    +

    Resource

    +

    Filter (optional)

    +

    API key

    All of the objects made in the year 2000:

    https://api.harvardartmuseums.org/ object ? yearmade=2002 & apikey=0000-0000-0000-0000
    URL Resource Filter API


    Alongside Objects, the Harvard Art Museums API includes other resources such as Exhibits, Artists, and Publications. Here is an expanded list of available resources.

    All exhibits from the late 20th century:

    https://api.harvardartmuseums.org/ exhibition ? after=1975 & before=2000 & apikey=0000-0000-0000-0000
    URL Resource Filter Filter API
    Tip: Head to the Harvard Art Museums' API documentation to learn more about the different Filters available on each Resource. The Object Page, for example, explains the numerous Parameters—or Filters—for that resource type.