Pulse/docs/API.md

Pulse API Documentation

Overview

Pulse provides a REST API for monitoring and managing Proxmox VE and PBS instances. All API endpoints are prefixed with /api.

Authentication

Pulse supports multiple authentication methods that can be used independently or together:

Password Authentication

Set a username and password for web UI access. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt (cost 12) for security.

# Systemd
sudo systemctl edit pulse-backend
# Add:
[Service]
Environment="PULSE_AUTH_USER=admin"
Environment="PULSE_AUTH_PASS=your-secure-password"

# Docker
docker run -e PULSE_AUTH_USER=admin -e PULSE_AUTH_PASS=your-password rcourtman/pulse:latest

Once set, users must login via the web UI. The password can be changed from Settings → Security.

API Token Authentication

For programmatic API access and automation. Tokens can be generated via the web UI (Settings → Security → Generate API Token).

API-Only Mode: If only API_TOKEN is configured (no password auth), the UI remains accessible in read-only mode while API modifications require the token.

# Systemd
sudo systemctl edit pulse-backend
# Add:
[Service]
Environment="API_TOKEN=your-48-char-hex-token"

# Docker
docker run -e API_TOKEN=your-48-char-hex-token rcourtman/pulse:latest

Using Authentication

# With API Token (header)
curl -H "X-API-Token: your-secure-token" http://localhost:7655/api/health

# With API Token (query parameter, for export/import)
curl "http://localhost:7655/api/export?token=your-secure-token"

# With session cookie (after login)
curl -b cookies.txt http://localhost:7655/api/health

Security Features

When authentication is enabled, Pulse provides enterprise-grade security:

• CSRF Protection: All state-changing requests require a CSRF token
• Rate Limiting: 500 req/min general, 10 attempts/min for authentication
• Account Lockout: Locks after 5 failed attempts (15 minute cooldown)
• Secure Sessions: HttpOnly cookies, 24-hour expiry
• Security Headers: CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, etc.
• Audit Logging: All security events are logged

CSRF Token Usage

When using session authentication, include the CSRF token for state-changing requests:

// Get CSRF token from cookie
const csrfToken = getCookie('pulse_csrf');

// Include in request header
fetch('/api/nodes', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-CSRF-Token': csrfToken,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify(data)
});

Core Endpoints

Health Check

Check if Pulse is running and healthy.

GET /api/health

Response:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "timestamp": 1754995749,
  "uptime": 166.187561244
}

Version Information

Get current Pulse version and build info.

GET /api/version

Response:

{
  "version": "v4.8.0",
  "build": "release",
  "runtime": "go",
  "channel": "stable",
  "isDocker": false,
  "isDevelopment": false
}

System State

Get complete system state including all nodes and their metrics.

GET /api/state

Response includes all monitored nodes, VMs, containers, storage, and backups.

Monitoring Data

Charts Data

Get time-series data for charts (CPU, memory, storage).

GET /api/charts
GET /api/charts?range=1h  # Last hour (default)
GET /api/charts?range=24h # Last 24 hours
GET /api/charts?range=7d  # Last 7 days

Storage Information

Get detailed storage information for all nodes.

GET /api/storage/
GET /api/storage/<node-id>

Storage Charts

Get storage usage trends over time.

GET /api/storage-charts

Backup Information

Get backup information across all nodes.

GET /api/backups          # All backups
GET /api/backups/unified  # Unified view
GET /api/backups/pve      # PVE backups only
GET /api/backups/pbs      # PBS backups only

Snapshots

Get snapshot information for VMs and containers.

GET /api/snapshots

Guest Metadata

Manage custom metadata for VMs and containers (e.g., console URLs).

GET /api/guests/metadata              # Get all guest metadata
GET /api/guests/metadata/<guest-id>   # Get metadata for specific guest
PUT /api/guests/metadata/<guest-id>   # Update guest metadata
DELETE /api/guests/metadata/<guest-id> # Remove guest metadata

Network Discovery

Discover Proxmox nodes on your network.

GET /api/discover     # Get cached discovery results (updates every 5 minutes)

Note: Manual subnet scanning via POST is currently not available through the API.

System Settings

Manage system-wide settings.

GET /api/system/settings         # Get current system settings
POST /api/system/settings/update  # Update system settings

Configuration

Node Management

Manage Proxmox VE and PBS nodes.

GET /api/config/nodes                    # List all nodes
POST /api/config/nodes                   # Add new node
PUT /api/config/nodes/<node-id>         # Update node
DELETE /api/config/nodes/<node-id>      # Remove node
POST /api/config/nodes/test-connection  # Test node connection
POST /api/config/nodes/test-config      # Test node configuration (for new nodes)
POST /api/config/nodes/<node-id>/test   # Test existing node

Add Node Example

curl -X POST http://localhost:7655/api/config/nodes \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-token" \
  -d '{
    "type": "pve",
    "name": "My PVE Node",
    "host": "https://192.168.1.100:8006",
    "user": "monitor@pve",
    "password": "password",
    "verifySSL": false
  }'

System Configuration

Get and update system configuration.

GET /api/config/system   # Get system config
PUT /api/config/system   # Update system config

Security Configuration

Security Status

Check current security configuration status.

GET /api/security/status

Returns information about:

• Authentication configuration
• API token status
• Network context (private/public)
• HTTPS status
• Audit logging status

Password Management

Manage user passwords.

POST /api/security/change-password

Request body:

{
  "currentPassword": "old-password",
  "newPassword": "new-secure-password"
}

Quick Security Setup

Quick setup for authentication (first-time setup).

POST /api/security/quick-setup

Request body:

{
  "username": "admin",
  "password": "secure-password",
  "generateApiToken": true
}

API Token Management

Manage API tokens for programmatic access.

POST /api/security/regenerate-token   # Generate or regenerate API token

Note: The old /api/system/api-token endpoints have been deprecated in favor of the simplified regenerate-token endpoint.

Export/Import Configuration

Backup and restore Pulse configuration with encryption.

POST /api/config/export  # Export encrypted config
POST /api/config/import  # Import encrypted config

Authentication: Requires one of:

• Active session (when logged in with password)
• API token via X-API-Token header
• Private network access (automatic for homelab users on 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x)
• ALLOW_UNPROTECTED_EXPORT=true (to explicitly allow on public networks)

Export includes:

• All nodes and their credentials (encrypted)
• Alert configurations
• Webhook configurations
• Email settings
• System settings (polling intervals, UI preferences)
• Guest metadata (custom console URLs)

NOT included (for security):

• Authentication settings (passwords, API tokens)
• Each instance should have its own authentication

Notifications

Email Configuration

Manage email notification settings.

GET /api/notifications/email          # Get email config
PUT /api/notifications/email          # Update email config (Note: Uses PUT, not POST)
GET /api/notifications/email-providers # List email providers

Test Notifications

Test notification delivery.

POST /api/notifications/test          # Send test notification to all configured channels

Webhook Configuration

Manage webhook notification endpoints.

GET /api/notifications/webhooks                    # List all webhooks
POST /api/notifications/webhooks                   # Create new webhook
PUT /api/notifications/webhooks/<id>               # Update webhook
DELETE /api/notifications/webhooks/<id>            # Delete webhook
POST /api/notifications/webhooks/test              # Test webhook
GET /api/notifications/webhook-templates           # Get service templates
GET /api/notifications/webhook-history             # Get webhook notification history

Create Webhook Example

curl -X POST http://localhost:7655/api/notifications/webhooks \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-token" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Discord Alert",
    "url": "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/xxx/yyy",
    "method": "POST",
    "service": "discord",
    "enabled": true
  }'

Custom Payload Template Example

curl -X POST http://localhost:7655/api/notifications/webhooks \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-token" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Custom Webhook",
    "url": "https://my-service.com/webhook",
    "method": "POST",
    "service": "generic",
    "enabled": true,
    "template": "{\"alert\": \"{{.Level}}: {{.Message}}\", \"value\": {{.Value}}}"
  }'

Test Webhook

curl -X POST http://localhost:7655/api/notifications/webhooks/test \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-token" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Test",
    "url": "https://example.com/webhook",
    "service": "generic"
  }'

Alert Management

Comprehensive alert management system.

# Alert Configuration
GET /api/alerts/                     # Get alert configuration and status
POST /api/alerts/                    # Update alert settings

# Alert Monitoring
GET /api/alerts/active                # Get currently active alerts
GET /api/alerts/history               # Get alert history
DELETE /api/alerts/history            # Clear alert history

# Alert Actions
POST /api/alerts/<id>/acknowledge    # Acknowledge an alert
POST /api/alerts/<id>/clear          # Clear a specific alert

Notification Management

Manage notification destinations and history.

GET /api/notifications/               # Get notification configuration
POST /api/notifications/              # Update notification settings
GET /api/notifications/history        # Get notification history

Auto-Registration

Pulse provides a secure auto-registration system for adding Proxmox nodes using one-time setup codes.

Generate Setup Code and URL

Generate a one-time setup code and URL for node configuration. This endpoint requires authentication.

POST /api/setup-script-url

Request:

{
  "type": "pve",        // "pve" or "pbs"
  "host": "https://192.168.1.100:8006",
  "backupPerms": true   // Optional: add backup management permissions (PVE only)
}

Response:

{
  "url": "http://pulse.local:7655/api/setup-script?type=pve&host=...",
  "command": "curl -sSL \"http://pulse.local:7655/api/setup-script?...\" | bash",
  "setupCode": "A7K9P2",  // 6-character one-time code
  "expires": 1755123456    // Unix timestamp when code expires (5 minutes)
}

Setup Script

Download the setup script for automatic node configuration. This endpoint is public but the script will prompt for a setup code.

GET /api/setup-script?type=pve&host=<encoded-url>&pulse_url=<encoded-url>

The script will:

1. Create a monitoring user (pulse-monitor@pam or pulse-monitor@pbs)
2. Generate an API token for that user
3. Set appropriate permissions
4. Prompt for the setup code
5. Auto-register with Pulse if a valid code is provided

Auto-Register Node

Register a node automatically (used by setup scripts). Requires either a valid setup code or API token.

POST /api/auto-register

Request with setup code (preferred):

{
  "type": "pve",
  "host": "https://node.local:8006",
  "serverName": "node-hostname",
  "tokenId": "pulse-monitor@pam!token-name",
  "tokenValue": "token-secret-value",
  "setupCode": "A7K9P2"  // One-time setup code from UI
}

Request with API token (legacy):

curl -X POST http://localhost:7655/api/auto-register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-api-token" \
  -d '{
    "type": "pve",
    "host": "https://node.local:8006",
    "serverName": "node-hostname",
    "tokenId": "pulse-monitor@pam!token-name",
    "tokenValue": "token-secret-value"
  }'

Security Management

Additional security endpoints.

# Apply security settings and restart service
POST /api/security/apply-restart

# Recovery mode (localhost only)
GET /api/security/recovery           # Check recovery status
POST /api/security/recovery          # Enable/disable recovery mode
  Body: {"action": "disable_auth" | "enable_auth"}

Security Features

The setup code system provides multiple layers of security:

• One-time use: Each code can only be used once
• Time-limited: Codes expire after 5 minutes
• Hashed storage: Codes are stored as SHA3-256 hashes
• Validation: Codes are validated against node type and host URL
• No secrets in URLs: Setup URLs contain no authentication tokens
• Interactive entry: Codes are entered interactively, not passed in URLs

Alternative: Environment Variable

For automation, the setup code can be provided via environment variable:

PULSE_SETUP_CODE=A7K9P2 curl -sSL "http://pulse:7655/api/setup-script?..." | bash

Guest Metadata

Manage custom metadata for VMs and containers, such as console URLs.

# Get all guest metadata
GET /api/guests/metadata

# Get metadata for specific guest
GET /api/guests/metadata/<node>/<vmid>

# Update guest metadata
PUT /api/guests/metadata/<node>/<vmid>
POST /api/guests/metadata/<node>/<vmid>

# Delete guest metadata
DELETE /api/guests/metadata/<node>/<vmid>

Example metadata update:

curl -X PUT http://localhost:7655/api/guests/metadata/pve-node/100 \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-token" \
  -d '{
    "consoleUrl": "https://custom-console.example.com/vm/100",
    "notes": "Production database server"
  }'

System Information

Current Configuration

Get the current Pulse configuration.

GET /api/config

Returns the complete configuration including nodes, settings, and system parameters.

Diagnostics

Get comprehensive system diagnostics information.

GET /api/diagnostics

Returns detailed information about:

• System configuration
• Node connectivity status
• Error logs
• Performance metrics
• Service health

Network Discovery

Discover Proxmox servers on the network.

GET /api/discover

Response:

{
  "servers": [
    {
      "host": "192.168.1.100",
      "port": 8006,
      "type": "pve",
      "name": "pve-node-1"
    }
  ],
  "errors": [],
  "scanning": false,
  "updated": 1755123456
}

Simple Statistics

Get simplified statistics (lightweight endpoint).

GET /simple-stats

Session Management

Logout

End the current user session.

POST /api/logout

Settings Management

UI Settings

Manage user interface preferences.

# Get current UI settings
GET /api/settings

# Update UI settings
POST /api/settings/update

Settings include:

• Theme preferences
• Dashboard layout
• Refresh intervals
• Display options

System Settings

Manage system-wide settings.

# Get system settings
GET /api/system/settings

# Update system settings
POST /api/system/settings/update

System settings include:

• Polling intervals
• Performance tuning
• Feature flags
• Global configurations

Updates

Check for Updates

Check if a new version is available. Returns version info and deployment-specific update instructions.

GET /api/updates/check

Response includes deploymentType field indicating how to update:

• proxmoxve: Type update in LXC console
• docker: Pull new image and recreate container
• systemd: Re-run install script
• manual: Re-run install script

Apply Update (Deprecated)

⚠️ DEPRECATED: This endpoint exists for backwards compatibility but is no longer used. Updates cannot be performed through the API due to security constraints (no sudo access, containers can't restart themselves). Use deployment-specific update methods instead.

POST /api/updates/apply

Update Status (Deprecated)

⚠️ DEPRECATED: Since updates are no longer performed through the API, this endpoint is not used by the UI.

GET /api/updates/status

Real-time Updates

WebSocket

Real-time updates are available via WebSocket connection.

const ws = new WebSocket('ws://localhost:7655/ws');

ws.onmessage = (event) => {
  const data = JSON.parse(event.data);
  console.log('Update received:', data);
};

The WebSocket broadcasts state updates every few seconds with the complete system state.

Socket.IO Compatibility

For Socket.IO clients, a compatibility endpoint is available:

GET /socket.io/

Test Notifications

Test WebSocket notifications:

POST /api/test-notification

Simple Statistics

Lightweight statistics endpoint for monitoring.

GET /simple-stats

Returns simplified metrics without authentication requirements.

Rate Limiting

Some endpoints have rate limiting:

• Export/Import: 5 requests per minute
• Test email: 10 requests per minute
• Update check: 10 requests per hour

Error Responses

All endpoints return standard HTTP status codes:

• 200 OK - Success
• 400 Bad Request - Invalid request data
• 401 Unauthorized - Missing or invalid API token
• 404 Not Found - Resource not found
• 429 Too Many Requests - Rate limited
• 500 Internal Server Error - Server error

Error response format:

{
  "error": "Error message description"
}

Examples

Full Example: Monitor a New Node

# 1. Test connection to node
curl -X POST http://localhost:7655/api/config/nodes/test-connection \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-token" \
  -d '{
    "type": "pve",
    "host": "https://192.168.1.100:8006",
    "user": "root@pam",
    "password": "password"
  }'

# 2. Add the node if test succeeds
curl -X POST http://localhost:7655/api/config/nodes \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Token: your-token" \
  -d '{
    "type": "pve",
    "name": "pve-node-1",
    "host": "https://192.168.1.100:8006",
    "user": "root@pam",
    "password": "password",
    "verifySSL": false
  }'

# 3. Get monitoring data
curl -H "X-API-Token: your-token" http://localhost:7655/api/state

# 4. Get chart data
curl -H "X-API-Token: your-token" http://localhost:7655/api/charts?range=1h

PowerShell Example

# Set variables
$apiUrl = "http://localhost:7655/api"
$apiToken = "your-secure-token"
$headers = @{ "X-API-Token" = $apiToken }

# Check health
$health = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "$apiUrl/health" -Headers $headers
Write-Host "Status: $($health.status)"

# Get all nodes
$nodes = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "$apiUrl/config/nodes" -Headers $headers
$nodes | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "Node: $($_.name) - $($_.status)" }

Python Example

import requests

API_URL = "http://localhost:7655/api"
API_TOKEN = "your-secure-token"
headers = {"X-API-Token": API_TOKEN}

# Check health
response = requests.get(f"{API_URL}/health", headers=headers)
health = response.json()
print(f"Status: {health['status']}")

# Get monitoring data
response = requests.get(f"{API_URL}/state", headers=headers)
state = response.json()
for node in state.get("nodes", []):
    print(f"Node: {node['name']} - {node['status']}")