TimeTracker/docs/REST_API.md

TimeTracker REST API Documentation

Overview

The TimeTracker REST API provides programmatic access to all time tracking, project management, and reporting features. This API is designed for developers who want to integrate TimeTracker with other tools or build custom applications.

Base URL

https://your-domain.com/api/v1

Authentication

All API endpoints require authentication using API tokens. API tokens are managed by administrators through the admin dashboard.

Creating API Tokens

1. Log in as an administrator

2. Navigate to Admin > API Tokens (/admin/api-tokens)

3. Click Create Token

4. Fill in the required information:

   • Name: A descriptive name for the token
   • Description: Optional description
   • User: The user this token will authenticate as
   • Scopes: Select the permissions this token should have
   • Expires In: Optional expiration period in days

5. Click Create Token

6. Important: Copy the generated token immediately - you won't be able to see it again!

Using API Tokens

Include your API token in every request using one of these methods:

Method 1: Bearer Token (Recommended)

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
     https://your-domain.com/api/v1/projects

Method 2: API Key Header

curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
     https://your-domain.com/api/v1/projects

Token Format

API tokens follow the format: tt_<32_random_characters>

Example: tt_abc123def456ghi789jkl012mno345pq

Scopes

API tokens use scopes to control access to resources. When creating a token, select the appropriate scopes:

Scope	Description
read:projects	View projects
write:projects	Create and update projects
read:time_entries	View time entries
write:time_entries	Create and update time entries
read:tasks	View tasks
write:tasks	Create and update tasks
read:clients	View clients
write:clients	Create and update clients
read:reports	View reports and analytics
read:users	View user information
admin:all	Full administrative access (use with caution)

Note: For most integrations, you'll want both read and write scopes for the resources you're working with.

Pagination

List endpoints support pagination to handle large datasets efficiently:

Query Parameters

• page - Page number (default: 1)
• per_page - Items per page (default: 50, max: 100)

Response Format

{
  "items": [...],
  "pagination": {
    "page": 1,
    "per_page": 50,
    "total": 150,
    "pages": 3,
    "has_next": true,
    "has_prev": false,
    "next_page": 2,
    "prev_page": null
  }
}

Date/Time Format

All timestamps use ISO 8601 format:

• Date: YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2024-01-15)
• DateTime: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ (e.g., 2024-01-15T14:30:00Z)

Error Handling

HTTP Status Codes

• 200 OK - Request successful
• 201 Created - Resource created successfully
• 400 Bad Request - Invalid input
• 401 Unauthorized - Authentication required or invalid token
• 403 Forbidden - Insufficient permissions (scope issue)
• 404 Not Found - Resource not found
• 500 Internal Server Error - Server error

Error Response Format

{
  "error": "Invalid token",
  "message": "The provided API token is invalid or expired"
}

For scope errors:

{
  "error": "Insufficient permissions",
  "message": "This endpoint requires the 'write:projects' scope",
  "required_scope": "write:projects",
  "available_scopes": ["read:projects", "read:time_entries"]
}

API Endpoints

System

Get API Information

GET /api/v1/info

Returns API version and available endpoints. No authentication required.

Response:

{
  "api_version": "v1",
  "app_version": "1.0.0",
  "documentation_url": "/api/docs",
  "endpoints": {
    "projects": "/api/v1/projects",
    "time_entries": "/api/v1/time-entries",
    "tasks": "/api/v1/tasks",
    "clients": "/api/v1/clients"
  }
}

Health Check

GET /api/v1/health

Check if the API is operational. No authentication required.

Projects

List Projects

GET /api/v1/projects

Required Scope: read:projects

Query Parameters:

• status - Filter by status (active, archived, on_hold)
• client_id - Filter by client ID
• page - Page number
• per_page - Items per page

Example:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
     "https://your-domain.com/api/v1/projects?status=active&per_page=20"

Response:

{
  "projects": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "Website Redesign",
      "description": "Complete website overhaul",
      "client_id": 5,
      "hourly_rate": 75.00,
      "estimated_hours": 120,
      "status": "active",
      "created_at": "2024-01-01T10:00:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {...}
}

Get Project

GET /api/v1/projects/{project_id}

Required Scope: read:projects

Create Project

POST /api/v1/projects

Required Scope: write:projects

Request Body:

{
  "name": "New Project",
  "description": "Project description",
  "client_id": 5,
  "hourly_rate": 75.00,
  "estimated_hours": 100,
  "status": "active"
}

Update Project

PUT /api/v1/projects/{project_id}

Required Scope: write:projects

Archive Project

DELETE /api/v1/projects/{project_id}

Required Scope: write:projects

Note: This archives the project rather than permanently deleting it.

Time Entries

List Time Entries

GET /api/v1/time-entries

Required Scope: read:time_entries

Query Parameters:

• project_id - Filter by project
• user_id - Filter by user (admin only)
• start_date - Filter by start date (ISO format)
• end_date - Filter by end date (ISO format)
• billable - Filter by billable status (true or false)
• include_active - Include active timers (true or false)
• page - Page number
• per_page - Items per page

Example:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
     "https://your-domain.com/api/v1/time-entries?project_id=1&start_date=2024-01-01"

Create Time Entry

POST /api/v1/time-entries

Required Scope: write:time_entries

Request Body:

{
  "project_id": 1,
  "task_id": 5,
  "start_time": "2024-01-15T09:00:00Z",
  "end_time": "2024-01-15T17:00:00Z",
  "notes": "Worked on feature X",
  "tags": "development,frontend",
  "billable": true
}

Note: end_time is optional. Omit it to create an active timer.

Update Time Entry

PUT /api/v1/time-entries/{entry_id}

Required Scope: write:time_entries

Delete Time Entry

DELETE /api/v1/time-entries/{entry_id}

Required Scope: write:time_entries

Timer Control

Get Timer Status

GET /api/v1/timer/status

Required Scope: read:time_entries

Returns the current active timer for the authenticated user.

Start Timer

POST /api/v1/timer/start

Required Scope: write:time_entries

Request Body:

{
  "project_id": 1,
  "task_id": 5
}

Stop Timer

POST /api/v1/timer/stop

Required Scope: write:time_entries

Stops the active timer for the authenticated user.

Tasks

List Tasks

GET /api/v1/tasks

Required Scope: read:tasks

Query Parameters:

• project_id - Filter by project
• status - Filter by status
• page - Page number
• per_page - Items per page

Create Task

POST /api/v1/tasks

Required Scope: write:tasks

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Implement login feature",
  "description": "Add user authentication",
  "project_id": 1,
  "status": "todo",
  "priority": 1
}

Clients

List Clients

GET /api/v1/clients

Required Scope: read:clients

Create Client

POST /api/v1/clients

Required Scope: write:clients

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Acme Corp",
  "email": "contact@acme.com",
  "company": "Acme Corporation",
  "phone": "+1-555-0123"
}

Reports

Get Summary Report

GET /api/v1/reports/summary

Required Scope: read:reports

Query Parameters:

• start_date - Start date (ISO format)
• end_date - End date (ISO format)
• project_id - Filter by project
• user_id - Filter by user (admin only)

Response:

{
  "summary": {
    "start_date": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "end_date": "2024-01-31T23:59:59Z",
    "total_hours": 160.5,
    "billable_hours": 145.0,
    "total_entries": 85,
    "by_project": [
      {
        "project_id": 1,
        "project_name": "Website Redesign",
        "hours": 85.5,
        "entries": 45
      }
    ]
  }
}

Users

Get Current User

GET /api/v1/users/me

Required Scope: read:users

Returns information about the authenticated user.

Interactive API Documentation

For interactive API documentation and testing, visit:

https://your-domain.com/api/docs

This Swagger UI interface allows you to:

• Browse all available endpoints
• Test API calls directly from your browser
• View detailed request/response schemas
• Try out different parameters

Code Examples

Python

import requests

API_TOKEN = "tt_your_token_here"
BASE_URL = "https://your-domain.com/api/v1"

headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_TOKEN}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

# List projects
response = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/projects", headers=headers)
projects = response.json()

# Create time entry
time_entry = {
    "project_id": 1,
    "start_time": "2024-01-15T09:00:00Z",
    "end_time": "2024-01-15T17:00:00Z",
    "notes": "Development work",
    "billable": True
}
response = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/time-entries", json=time_entry, headers=headers)

JavaScript/Node.js

const axios = require('axios');

const API_TOKEN = 'tt_your_token_here';
const BASE_URL = 'https://your-domain.com/api/v1';

const headers = {
  'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
  'Content-Type': 'application/json'
};

// List projects
axios.get(`${BASE_URL}/projects`, { headers })
  .then(response => console.log(response.data))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

// Start timer
axios.post(`${BASE_URL}/timer/start`, 
  { project_id: 1, task_id: 5 }, 
  { headers }
)
  .then(response => console.log('Timer started:', response.data))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

cURL

# List projects
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer tt_your_token_here" \
     https://your-domain.com/api/v1/projects

# Create time entry
curl -X POST \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer tt_your_token_here" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"project_id":1,"start_time":"2024-01-15T09:00:00Z","end_time":"2024-01-15T17:00:00Z"}' \
     https://your-domain.com/api/v1/time-entries

Best Practices

Security

1. Store tokens securely: Never commit tokens to version control
2. Use environment variables: Store tokens in environment variables
3. Rotate tokens regularly: Create new tokens periodically and delete old ones
4. Use minimal scopes: Only grant the permissions needed
5. Set expiration dates: Configure tokens to expire when appropriate

Performance

1. Use pagination: Don't fetch all records at once
2. Filter results: Use query parameters to reduce data transfer
3. Cache responses: Cache data that doesn't change frequently
4. Batch operations: Combine multiple operations when possible

Error Handling

1. Check status codes: Always check HTTP status codes
2. Handle rate limits: Implement exponential backoff for rate limit errors
3. Log errors: Log API errors for debugging
4. Validate input: Validate data before sending to API

Rate Limiting

The API implements rate limiting to ensure fair usage:

• Per-token limits: 100 requests per minute, 1000 requests per hour
• Response headers: Rate limit information is included in response headers
  • X-RateLimit-Limit: Maximum requests allowed
  • X-RateLimit-Remaining: Requests remaining in current window
  • X-RateLimit-Reset: Unix timestamp when the limit resets

When rate limited, you'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests response.

Webhook Support (Coming Soon)

Webhook support for real-time notifications is planned for a future release. This will allow you to receive notifications when:

• Time entries are created/updated
• Projects change status
• Tasks are completed
• Timer events occur

Support

For API support:

• Documentation: This guide and /api/docs
• GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
• Community: Join our community forum

Changelog

Version 1.0.0 (Current)

• Initial REST API release
• Full CRUD operations for projects, time entries, tasks, and clients
• Token-based authentication with scopes
• Comprehensive filtering and pagination
• Timer control endpoints
• Reporting endpoints
• Interactive Swagger documentation