API architecture
CRUD endpoints for timelines, objects, and attributes; webhooks for change events and user activity.
The 4d.io API offers standard RESTful endpoints for full lifecycle management of 4D models, supporting structured create, read, update, and delete operations across timelines, spatial objects, and their associated attributes. Each endpoint uses JSON for request and response bodies, and handles versioned schema definitions for interoperability across client applications. Authenticated sessions use industry-standard tokens and scopes to protect model integrity and ensure auditability.
Webhooks enable real-time automation by sending HTTP POST requests when model events occur—such as timeline edits, object transformations, or user collaboration sessions. These hooks let teams trigger external workflows, such as updating a schedule in a project management system or publishing a new model state to a digital twin dashboard. Payloads include rich context: timestamps, actor identity, and diff-style change summaries for precise reconstruction of state transitions.
Designers and data scientists can integrate the API into existing build pipelines or geospatial processing frameworks, enabling server-side model generation, batch updates, or automated validation against regulatory constraints. The API versioning scheme ensures backward compatibility during upgrades, while OpenAPI 3.0 documentation supports auto-generated SDKs and code samples in Python, JavaScript, and other common languages used in professional environments.
