# cobalt api documentation this document provides info about methods and acceptable variables for all cobalt api requests. > if you are looking for the documentation for the old (7.x) api, you can find > it [here](https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/blob/7/docs/api.md) ## authentication an api instance may be configured to require you to authenticate yourself. if this is the case, you will typically receive an [error response](#error-response) with a **`api.auth..missing`** code, which tells you that a particular method of authentication is required. authentication is done by passing the `Authorization` header, containing the authentication scheme and the token: ``` Authorization: ``` currently, cobalt supports two ways of authentication. an instance can choose to configure both, or neither: - [`Api-Key`](#api-key-authentication) - [`Bearer`](#bearer-authentication) ### api-key authentication the api key authentication is the most straightforward. the instance owner will assign you an api key which you can then use to authenticate like so: ``` Authorization: Api-Key aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-eeeeeeeeeeee ``` if you are an instance owner and wish to configure api key authentication, see the [instance](run-an-instance.md#api-key-file-format) documentation! ### bearer authentication the cobalt server may be configured to issue JWT bearers, which are short-lived tokens intended for use by regular users (e.g. after passing a challenge). currently, cobalt can issue tokens for successfully solved [turnstile](run-an-instance.md#list-of-all-environment-variables) challenge, if the instance has turnstile configured. the resulting token is passed like so: ``` Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9... ``` ## POST: `/` cobalt's main processing endpoint. request body type: `application/json` response body type: `application/json` ``` ⚠️ you must include Accept and Content-Type headers with every `POST /` request. Accept: application/json Content-Type: application/json ``` ### request body | key | type | expected value(s) | default | description | |:-----------------------------|:----------|:-----------------------------------|:----------|:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | `url` | `string` | URL to download | -- | **must** be included in every request. | | `videoQuality` | `string` | `144 / ... / 2160 / 4320 / max` | `1080` | `720` quality is recommended for phones. | | `audioFormat` | `string` | `best / mp3 / ogg / wav / opus` | `mp3` | | | `audioBitrate` | `string` | `320 / 256 / 128 / 96 / 64 / 8` | `128` | specifies the bitrate to use for the audio. applies only to audio conversion. | | `filenameStyle` | `string` | `classic / pretty / basic / nerdy` | `classic` | changes the way files are named. previews can be seen in the web app. | | `downloadMode` | `string` | `auto / audio / mute` | `auto` | `audio` downloads only the audio, `mute` skips the audio track in videos. | | `youtubeVideoCodec` | `string` | `h264 / av1 / vp9` | `h264` | `h264` is recommended for phones. | | `youtubeDubLang` | `string` | `en / ru / cs / ja / ...` | -- | specifies the language of audio to download, when the youtube video is dubbed | | `youtubeDubBrowserLang` | `boolean` | `true / false` | `false` | uses value from the Accept-Language header for `youtubeDubLang`. | | `alwaysProxy` | `boolean` | `true / false` | `false` | tunnels all downloads through the processing server, even when not necessary. | | `disableMetadata` | `boolean` | `true / false` | `false` | disables file metadata when set to `true`. | | `tiktokFullAudio` | `boolean` | `true / false` | `false` | enables download of original sound used in a tiktok video. | | `tiktokH265` | `boolean` | `true / false` | `false` | changes whether 1080p h265 videos are preferred or not. | | `twitterGif` | `boolean` | `true / false` | `true` | changes whether twitter gifs are converted to .gif | ### response the response will always be a JSON object containing the `status` key, which will be one of: - `error` - something went wrong - `picker` - we have multiple items to choose from - `redirect` - you are being redirected to the direct service URL - `tunnel` - cobalt is proxying the download for you ### tunnel/redirect response | key | type | values | |:-------------|:---------|:------------------------------------------------------------| | `status` | `string` | `tunnel / redirect` | | `url` | `string` | url for the cobalt tunnel, or redirect to an external link | | `filename` | `string` | cobalt-generated filename for the file being downloaded | ### picker response | key | type | values | |:----------------|:---------|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | `status` | `string` | `picker` | | `audio` | `string` | **optional** returned when an image slideshow (such as on tiktok) has a general background audio | | `audioFilename` | `string` | **optional** cobalt-generated filename, returned if `audio` exists | | `picker` | `array` | array of objects containing the individual media | #### picker object | key | type | values | |:-------------|:----------|:------------------------------------------------------------| | `type` | `string` | `photo` / `video` / `gif` | | `url` | `string` | | | `thumb` | `string` | **optional** thumbnail url | ### error response | key | type | values | |:-------------|:---------|:------------------------------------------------------------| | `status` | `string` | `error` | | `error` | `object` | contains more context about the error | #### error object | key | type | values | |:-------------|:---------|:------------------------------------------------------------| | `code` | `string` | machine-readable error code explaining the failure reason | | `context` | `object` | **optional** container for providing more context | #### error.context object | key | type | values | |:-------------|:---------|:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | `service` | `string` | **optional**, stating which service was being downloaded from | | `limit` | `number` | **optional** number providing the ratelimit maximum number of requests, or maximum downloadable video duration | ## GET: `/` returns current basic server info. response body type: `application/json` ### response body | key | type | variables | |:------------|:---------|:---------------------------------------------------------| | `cobalt` | `object` | information about the cobalt instance | | `git` | `object` | information about the codebase that is currently running | #### cobalt object | key | type | description | |:----------------|:-----------|:-----------------------------------------------| | `version` | `string` | current version | | `url` | `string` | server url | | `startTime` | `string` | server start time in unix milliseconds | | `durationLimit` | `number` | maximum downloadable video length in seconds | | `services` | `string[]` | array of services which this instance supports | #### git object | key | type | variables | |:------------|:---------|:------------------| | `commit` | `string` | commit hash | | `branch` | `string` | git branch | | `remote` | `string` | git remote | ## POST: `/session` used for generating JWT tokens, if enabled. currently, cobalt only supports generating tokens when a [turnstile](run-an-instance.md#list-of-all-environment-variables) challenge solution is submitted by the client. the turnstile challenge response is submitted via the `cf-turnstile-response` header. ### response body | key | type | description | |:----------------|:-----------|:-------------------------------------------------------| | `token` | `string` | a `Bearer` token used for later request authentication | | `exp` | `number` | number in seconds indicating the token lifetime | on failure, an [error response](#error-response) is returned.