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Developer Platform API

Complete API reference for all Decentraland backend services

Welcome to the Decentraland API Reference. This section provides comprehensive documentation for all backend services that power Decentraland.

Overview

Decentraland's backend infrastructure consists of distributed services organized into four main categories:

  • Decentralized Layer - Content delivery and decentralized infrastructure
  • Real-Time Communications Layer - Service discovery, clustering, and communications
  • Feature Services - User-facing features, content, and gamification
  • Core Services - Authentication, marketplace, assets, and notifications

All APIs documented here follow OpenAPI specifications and support RESTful conventions unless otherwise noted.

Service Categories

Decentralized Layer

The foundational decentralized infrastructure for content delivery:

Service Purpose Key Features
Catalyst Content delivery Decentralized content servers, entity deployment, and filesystem access
Lamb2 Lambda utilities Serverless functions for content consumption and utility endpoints

Real-Time Communications Layer

Service discovery and real-time peer-to-peer communications:

Service Purpose Key Features
Realm Provider Service discovery Find available Catalyst servers and communication endpoints
Comms Gatekeeper Access control Time-limited tokens for LiveKit media server access
Archipelago Workers Communications clustering WebSocket connections, island formation, and message routing via NATS

Feature Services

User-facing features including content, economy, and gamification:

Service Purpose Key Features
Credits Server Virtual credits Decentraland's virtual currency system
Badges Achievements User achievement and badge system
Rewards API NFT rewards Campaign-based NFT reward distribution
Exploration Games Onboarding Interactive tutorials and quests
Camera Reel Screenshots User-generated screenshot management
Atlas Server Map data Parcel information and world map tiles
Places Points of interest Curated locations and featured experiences
Events Event management Create, schedule, and discover in-world events
Worlds Isolated scenes Personal worlds and custom domains

Core Services

Essential infrastructure for authentication, marketplace, assets, and notifications:

Service Purpose Key Features
Auth Server Authentication Wallet-based authentication and session management
Marketplace Server NFT marketplace Wearables and emotes marketplace integration
Asset Bundle Registry Asset optimization Unity asset bundles for optimized loading
Events Notifier Event alerts Notifications for upcoming events
Notifications Workers User notifications Real-time and push notifications
Social Service Friends & communities Friendship management and private messaging

Getting Started

Authentication

Most APIs require authentication using Decentraland's wallet-based system:

  1. Connect wallet - Users sign authentication challenges with their Ethereum wallet
  2. Get tokens - Auth Server validates signatures and issues JWT tokens
  3. Include tokens - Add tokens to API requests via Authorization header

See the Auth Server API for detailed authentication flows.

Base URLs

APIs are deployed across the Decentraland network:

  • Production: https://peer.decentraland.org (main Catalyst)
  • Development: Various test environments
  • Custom: Self-hosted Catalyst nodes

Most services are accessible through Catalyst nodes. Use the Realm Provider to discover available endpoints.

Rate Limiting

APIs implement rate limiting to ensure fair usage:

  • Default limits vary by service and endpoint
  • Authenticated requests typically have higher limits
  • Rate limit headers included in responses
  • Contact maintainers for increased limits if needed

API Conventions

All APIs follow these conventions:

  • HTTP Methods - Standard REST verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
  • Status Codes - Standard HTTP status codes
  • Content Type - application/json unless otherwise specified
  • Error Format - Consistent error response structure
  • Versioning - Version info in URL path or headers

Architecture Context

These APIs are part of a larger distributed system. For architectural context:

Contributing

These API specifications are maintained in their respective repositories:

  • Report issues via GitHub repositories
  • Propose changes through pull requests
  • Join technical discussions in the Decentraland Discord
  • Attend monthly AMA sessions

Additional Resources

OpenAPI Documentation

Each API includes:

  • Interactive documentation - Try endpoints directly from the docs
  • Request/response examples - Sample payloads for all operations
  • Schema definitions - Complete data model documentation
  • Authentication requirements - Required credentials for each endpoint

Navigate to specific APIs using the sidebar to explore detailed endpoint documentation.