Making API Calls

Curl samples in our API doc

We use curl in our API documentation to show an example how to form REST API calls, and it is not meant to be an actual production example of implementation.

GET and POST Methods

Qualys API functions allow API users to submit parameters (name=value pairs) using the GET and/or POST method. There are known limits for the amount of data that can be sent using the GET method, and these limits are dependent on the toolkit used. Please refer to the individual descriptions of the API function calls to learn about the supported methods for each function

Parameters in URLs

API parameters, as documented in this user guide, should be specified one time for each URL. In the case where the same parameter is specified multiple times in a single URL, the last parameter takes effect and the previous instances are silently ignored. URL elements are case sensitive.

Date format in API Results

The Qualys API has adopted a date/time format to provide consistency and interoperability of the Qualys API with third-party applications. The date format follows standards published in RFC 3339 and ISO 8601, and applies throughout the Qualys API. The date format is: yyyy-mm-ddThh-mm-ssZ This represents a UTC value (GMT time zone).

URL Encoding in API Code

You must URL encode variables when using the Qualys API. This is standard practice for HTTP communications. If your application passes special characters, like the single quote (‘), parentheses, and symbols, they must be URL encoded. For example, the pound (#) character cannot be used as an input parameter in URLs. If “#” is specified, the Qualys API returns an error. To specify the “#” character in a URL you must enter the encoded value “%23”. The “#” character is considered by browsers and other Internet tools as a separator between the URL and the results page, so whatever follows an un-encoded “#” character is not passed to the Qualys API server and returns an error.

Making requests with URL payload

While it is still possible to create simple API requests using the GET method, you can create API requests using the POST method with an XML payload to make an advanced request.

The XML payloads can be compared to a scripting language that allows users to make multiple actions within one single API request, like adding a parameter to an object and updating another parameter.

The XML structure of the payload is described in the XSD files.

JSON calls

Qualys Cloud Agent API does not support JSON requests and responses at this time.