API aspect

The Application Programming Interface (API) allows users to interact with Rubin’s data services remotely. An API is a structured way for software applications to communicate with each other. It can be thought of as a back-and-forth exchange between a client and a server: one program (the client) makes a request for data, and another program (the server) provides a response.

In the context of the RSP, the API aspect allows access to Rubin data—including images and catalogs—both within the RSP environment (e.g., via the RSP JupyterLab Notebook aspect) and externally (e.g., through the Tool for OPerations on Catalogues And Tables (TOPCAT), a personal computer with the PyVO software, or a PyVO-enabled environment like the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory’s Astro Data Lab).

Use the API Aspect to:

  • Access Rubin data from outside the RSP.

  • Automate data queries or downloads.

  • Integrate Rubin data access into your own software tools.

  • Access external datasets in addition to Rubin data.

API Services

The API aspect of the RSP supports several types of services, primarily based on the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) protocols. These include the Table Access Protocol (TAP), the Observation Table Access Protocol (ObsTAP), the Server-side Operations for Data Access (SODA) service (which provides image cutouts and mosaics), the Simple Image Access Protocol version 2 (SIAv2) for image searches, and the Hierarchical Progressive Survey (HiPS).

By the time of the first data release, the Rubin Science Platform will also support the Simple Cone Search (SCS) for basic catalog queries, and the Virtual Observatory Space (VOSpace)—alongside Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)—for user file access.

Table Access Protocol (TAP) Service

The Table Access Protocol (TAP) is a specific type of service within the API, implemented according to the IVOA standard.

Internal TAP Access

The primary means of accessing TAP within the RSP is through the RSP’s Portal and Notebook aspects. In the Notebook aspect, a client that’s connected to the TAP service is instantiated within a Python notebook and used to execute an Astronomical Data Query Language (ADQL) query, returning a result set.

External TAP Access

The RSP TAP service is also accessible remotely, from outside the RSP (e.g., from a personal computer), allowing users to query data using external software such as PyVO, TOPCAT, or custom scripts. To access TAP from external software, users must generate an RSP access token.

Authentication and Access Tokens

Access to Rubin data via the API requires authentication. Users must obtain an RSP authentication token, which serves as a credential when making API requests. For internal TAP access, the token is already generated by the RSP, so no additional steps are needed. For external TAP access, instructions on generating and using an RSP access token can be found on the Authentication website.

Additional Resources

For more information about Rubin data access, please refer to the tutorials. For the most recent data releases, visit the Rubin Observatory page.

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