# IFS Cloud REST API Documentation: Projections, OData and How to Explore Them > Source: https://netray.co/erp-help/ifs-cloud-rest-api-documentation-projections-odata-explorer > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: ERP Help ## Short answer IFS Cloud APIs are projections served as OData v4 REST services. General product documentation is published by IFS, but the authoritative description of the API for your environment comes from the environment itself: the projection metadata document and the API exploration tools in the client. Authenticate with a token from IFS IAM, then read entity sets with standard OData query options. ## Kind how-to ## System ifs ## Erp IFS Cloud ## Module REST API / Projections ## Query ifs cloud rest api documentation ## Alternate Queries - ifs cloud api documentation - ifs cloud documentation - ifs cloud api explorer - ifs cloud odata metadata ## Applies To IFS Cloud 21R1 and later. Service paths and the location of the explorer can differ by release, so confirm in your documentation. ## Steps ### How to find and try an IFS Cloud API **Items:** - Start with IFS's published technical documentation for your release to learn the platform concepts and the projection model. - Look for the API exploration feature in your Aurena client, which lists the projections available to your user. - Request a service client in IAM and obtain an access token with the client credentials flow or a user flow as appropriate. - Call the projection metadata document to see entity sets, fields, keys and actions. - Read data with OData query options such as filter, select, top, orderby and expand. - Create or change records with the documented POST, PATCH and action calls, once you have tested reads. ## Sections ### Where the documentation lives **Body:** Two sources matter. IFS publishes product and technical documentation for each release, which covers concepts, installation and the platform. Your running environment adds the exact truth for your configuration: the projections you can call, their fields including custom fields, and the actions available. Prefer the second when they differ. Because projections are generated from the application model, the metadata is always current for your installed release and for the permissions of the calling user, which is why the explorer and metadata are the quickest way to learn an API. ### Calling a projection **Body:** The URL follows a pattern with the host, the application path, the projection name and the entity set. Use the metadata endpoint to confirm names. Filters and field selection reduce payload size, and paging with top and skip protects the server. Permissions come from the calling user or service client. A call that works in the explorer for an administrator may be refused for an integration client, so test with the real client. **Code:** - GET https://IFS_HOST/main/ifsapplications/projection/v1/.svc/$metadata - GET https://IFS_HOST/main/ifsapplications/projection/v1/.svc/?$top=10&$select=, Authorization: Bearer ### Good practice **Body:** Create a dedicated service client per integration with the least permissions, and store the secret in a vault. Version your calls by release, since field and projection changes can occur between releases. Use read access for reporting and analytics, and keep write calls for processes that have a business owner. If you need analytics outside IFS, extract on a schedule instead of querying live projections for large reports. ## Pitfalls - Testing as an administrator and then failing under the integration client. - Fetching entire entity sets with no filter or paging. - Hard coding projection names and fields without checking after an update. - Sharing one service client across several integrations. - Treating public documentation as authoritative over your environment metadata. ## Ai Angle Learning an API by reading metadata is slow. A private assistant that reads your projection metadata and has a read-only service client can answer a question like which projection holds open purchase orders and draft the OData query, then show it so a developer can verify. Run on your own network, it never sends metadata or results outside. ## Faq ### Does IFS Cloud have a REST API? **Answer:** Yes. Its APIs are projections exposed as OData REST services. They are the same layer that the web client uses, with security enforced by permission sets. ### How do I authenticate to the IFS Cloud API? **Answer:** With an access token from IFS IAM. Integrations normally use a dedicated service client, and interactive tools use a user flow. If you receive a 401, see our page on projection token errors. ### Where do I see the available projections? **Answer:** In the API exploration feature in the client and through the metadata document of each projection. These reflect your installed release and your user's rights. ### Can I call the API for custom fields? **Answer:** Custom fields configured on a page or entity can usually be exposed through the projection once configured, but check the metadata of your environment to confirm they appear. ## Search terms ifs cloud rest api documentation, ifs cloud api documentation, ifs cloud odata, ifs cloud projection, ifs cloud api explorer, ifs cloud documentation, ifs cloud metadata, ifs cloud service client --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json