A robust ecosystem of product development tools depends on developers’ ability to extend and customize applications. This is why, after a year-long customer beta program, I’m excited to announce that we have released our new RESTful API with this month’s hosted update, available today. We developed this API in order to offer developers a modern, easy-to-use integration method that allows for more flexibility and scalability, and increases application performance.
The feedback on this API from our customers who participated in our beta program has been enthusiastic, especially for the clear and complete documentation we’ve provided that makes it easy to work with this API. The beta participants have written custom integrations between Jama and other applications to do some really exciting things. So far, our customers have created integrations that:
- Pull attachments from specified requirements managed in Jama for use in engineering tools, for better collaboration between the management and engineering teams
- Extract data from Jama for custom publishing into Word to support industry-specific documentation
- Quickly create Jama items via email using a small application developed in Python
- Extract requirements from Jama to be used as the input into a software testing tool, ensuring full coverage and traceability
So how do you get started? Read on.
Do I have access to the Jama REST API?
If you have access to the hosted Jama product you can get access to the REST API. You do not need to download anything new. Open a support ticket or access support via support.jamasoftware.com and one of the members of our Support team will set up access for your account.
Are there any additional costs for using the REST API?
No. If you have a subscription to Jama you can access the REST API. It’s possible that in time we may institute rate limits. We’ll monitor usage and keep the community informed of any changes.
Does the REST API replace the existing SOAP API?
SOAP end of life was December 31st 2016. Support ended June 30th 2017 and will be removed with the release of 8.20 in September 2017.
We use the Jama on-premises product, not the hosted solution. When can we get access to the REST API?
For customers who want to get first access to new features in Jama we recommend switching to our Saas product, and your Customer Success Manager is available to discuss how to make that transition. For customers using the on-premises product the REST API will be available in a future release, currently estimated for availability in Spring of 2016. Before that release, you can discuss access options with your Customer Success Manager.
Where can I read more about the REST API?
The REST API is fully documented with features, end points and data types, and you can access this information (as well as SOAP API documentation) on our Developer site.
Is there a Jama GitHub account where I can find examples of how other developers have utilized the API?
There is! We have a repository specifically for developing with our REST API at the Jama Software GitHub account.
Who do I reach out to if I have questions?
We’ve set up a category dedicated to the REST API developer community on our Support site. (Registration is required, though the site is open to anyone.) There you can read feedback from the developers who built applications on the beta version of the REST API, interact with the Jama product managers and engineers who developed the API, and post your own questions and feedback.
As excited as we are about this launch, we’re just getting started. We will continue to add functionality to this API based on feedback from the developer community, and we hope your team will join us in building new and awesome things with Jama.
We’re curious: Do you have an idea for an integration with Jama that you’ve wanted to build? Tell us about it in the comments!
- REST API Design - April 27, 2016
- Jama REST API: Officially Open to Developers - October 20, 2015