Overview

The Stack Overflow for Teams API enables you to interact with your Stack Overflow for Teams site programmatically with external scripts, reporting tools, and automated workflows. Version 3 of our API builds on API v2 with new capabilities and an updated interface.

API v3 now allows access to subject matter experts (SMEs) and user groups. With these new endpoints, you can:

Get or update SMEs for a tag.
Add or remove users or user groups as SMEs.
Create user groups and add or remove members.

Read about general API v3 features in the all-product API v3 article.

THIS ARTICLE APPLIES TO STACK OVERFLOW FOR TEAMS BASIC AND BUSINESS ONLY.
Stack Overflow for Teams Enterprise users should read this article instead. Find your plan.

Access API v3

You'll access API v3 at https://api.stackoverflowteams.com/v3. In addition to this document, API v3 has interactive documentation with definitions for all methods and data models at https://api.stackoverflowteams.com/v3. This interactive documentation system (Swagger UI) allows you to test API calls and view returned data in a convenient web interface with no API implementation required. API v3 uses modern API design patterns, making it easy and familiar for both developers and end users.

Authentication and Authorization

API v3 uses personal access tokens (PATs) to authorize API requests. You'll create one or more PATs to access API v3, and then provide a PAT with each API v3 request. Access tokens that are read-only can read data only; read-write tokens allow API calls to read, update and delete data (Business tier only). Only users authenticated into Stack Overflow for Teams can create PATs.

NOTE: Stack Overflow for Teams Basic has read-only access to API v3, while Stack Overflow for Teams Business has read/write access.

You can use the same API access tokens for API v2 and v3 requests. Each token's write permissions scope (read-only or read/write) applies to both APIs.

Learn more about access keys and tokens from your on-site API v2 documentation at https://api.stackoverflowteams.com/docs/authentication.

Personal access token (PAT)

A PAT authorizes an external API application to access data on your behalf, and it grants access only to the data that you can see as a user. A PAT with read-only permissions, for example, can view the same content (questions, answers, comments) as you, and only in the team specified on creation.

To create and manage your PATs, click your avatar (profile picture) at the top of the page. Click Account Settings, then Personal access tokens (under the "API" heading). The "Personal access tokens (PATs)" page appears, listing existing tokens.

To create a new token, click Create a new PAT. The "Create a personal access token" box appears with the following fields:

PAT Description Use this field to give your PAT a name that's useful and recognizable to you.

Team scope Select the team that this PAT can access. NOTE: each PAT can access only one team.

Expiration Date Set the duration the PAT will be valid. For security, we recommend setting an expiration for all PATs.

Enable write access (Business only) Check this box to give the PAT read and write access.

When you first create a PAT, its code will appear in the PAT list. Stack Overflow for Teams won't display the code again, so be sure to copy and save it for later use in your API integration.

If you don't save the code for a new PAT, you can't use it. You'll have to delete the PAT and create it again.

To delete a PAT from the list, click its Delete link.

Swagger UI authorization

The Swagger UI interface functions as an API application with full access to API v3 as the authenticated user. When authorized, Swagger UI uses its access key to create its own PAT code. You can use this code for API calls outside of Swagger UI, which may be useful for temporary API application development or testing.

Your PAT list will show a PAT ("Created by Swagger UI") for each team you authorize Swagger UI to access. PATs created through Swagger UI expire after 24 hours.

If you already have an active Swagger UI PAT, you should refresh the token to reset the 24-hour expiration window. Do this by clicking Authorize, then Logout, then Authorize again.

To authorize Swagger UI:

Go to https://api.stackoverflowteams.com/v3.
Click Authorize. An "Available authorizations" box will appear.
Leave Client ID unchanged.
Check write_access if the token should have write permissions (Business only).
Check access_team. Choose the private team and click Continue.
Click Approve.

When you use Swagger UI to access API v3, Swagger UI reveals its PAT code as part of the underlying API call. You can find the code in the "Curl" section of the Swagger UI execution output. Look for the following line:

 -H 'Authorization: Bearer [PAT code]))'

Need help? Submit an issue or question through our support portal.