REST API
Table of contents
Introduction
DSpace(-CRIS) has a comprehensive REST API. See the RestContract documentation for more information:
- DSpace GitHub - DSpace/RestContract: REST Contract for DSpace 7–10
- DSpace-CRIS extensions: github.com/4Science/Rest7Contract
Base URLs for the ZORA REST API access
| ZORA Production | https://www.zora.uzh.ch/server (/api) |
| ZORA Test (only within UZH, VPN access required) | https://www.zoratest.uzh.ch/server (/api) |
Architecture
The DSpace REST API is based on three complementary standards:
HAL (Hypertext Application Language): Each response contains _links that describe available operations and related resources.
HATEOAS (Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State): The REST API is self-navigable: You start at the root and follow the links instead of manually creating URLs.
ALPS (Application-Level Profile Semantics): Machine-readable semantic profiles document what each endpoint accepts and returns.
All responses are in JSON format. The API is read-only for anonymous users; authenticated users with the appropriate permissions can also modify data.
HAL-Browser
The HAL-Browser provides an interactive, self-documenting interface to all available endpoints. It allows you to explore the API structure and test requests without having to write code.
Authentication
An API token is required when using the recommended API libraries and for write access, such as submitting documents.
You must set up a personal access token in your account profile: Under “Profile,” scroll down to “Personal Access Token,” generate the token, and copy it to the clipboard.
Search API
The Search API allows to retrieve metadata as JSON using a complete Solr search query.
Documentation on the REST API search endpoint:DSpace RestContract/search-endpoint.md
ZORA Search API end point: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/server/api/discover/search
Example 1
Publicatios by the Faculty of Economics that were added to ZORA in 2025 (may also list publications that have a publication date before 2025):
Parameters in this example:
- scope: The UUID of the specific community or collection that needs to be queried; see, for example,03 Faculty of Economics
or https://www.zora.uzh.ch/community-list for other communities and collections - query: Solr query, filtered here by the field dc.date.accessioned and the value 2025 (all publications acquired in 2025 or later).
See Metadata-Profile for all ZORA fields.
Example 2
Publicatios by the Faculty of Economics with year of publication 2025:
Example 3
Publication for a given ORCID ID:
In the response JSON, the data is paginated; the next and last links take you to the next or last page, respectively. The size parameter controls the number of entries per page. The maximum possible value is size=1000. If you set a higher value, only 1,000 entries per page will be returned. There is also a sort parameter; see DSpace RestContract/search-endpoint.md
Submission API
Please contact the ZORA IT team (Martin Brändle, Jens Witzel) if you would like to create submissions via the DSpace REST API. Detailed instructions will be sent to you, and you will receive support throughout the testing and implementation process.
Currently, the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science are making use of this option to import dissertations from their administrative systems.