Skip to content

Snippets API

DETAILS: Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate Offering: SaaS, self-managed

Snippets API operates on snippets. Related APIs exist for project snippets and moving snippets between storages.

Snippet visibility level

Snippets in GitLab can be either private, internal, or public. You can set it with the visibility field in the snippet.

Valid values for snippet visibility levels are:

Visibility Description
private Snippet is visible only to the snippet creator.
internal Snippet is visible for any authenticated user except external users.
public Snippet can be accessed without any authentication.

List all snippets for current user

Get a list of the current user's snippets.

GET /snippets

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
per_page integer no Number of snippets to return per page.
page integer no Page to retrieve.
created_after datetime no Return snippets created after the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)
created_before datetime no Return snippets created before the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)

Example request:

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets"

Example response:

[
    {
        "id": 42,
        "title": "Voluptatem iure ut qui aut et consequatur quaerat.",
        "file_name": "mclaughlin.rb",
        "description": null,
        "visibility": "internal",
        "author": {
            "id": 22,
            "name": "User 0",
            "username": "user0",
            "state": "active",
            "avatar_url": "https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/52e4ce24a915fb7e51e1ad3b57f4b00a?s=80&d=identicon",
            "web_url": "http://example.com/user0"
        },
        "updated_at": "2018-09-18T01:12:26.383Z",
        "created_at": "2018-09-18T01:12:26.383Z",
        "project_id": null,
        "web_url": "http://example.com/snippets/42",
        "raw_url": "http://example.com/snippets/42/raw"
    },
    {
        "id": 41,
        "title": "Ut praesentium non et atque.",
        "file_name": "ondrickaemard.rb",
        "description": null,
        "visibility": "internal",
        "author": {
            "id": 22,
            "name": "User 0",
            "username": "user0",
            "state": "active",
            "avatar_url": "https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/52e4ce24a915fb7e51e1ad3b57f4b00a?s=80&d=identicon",
            "web_url": "http://example.com/user0"
        },
        "updated_at": "2018-09-18T01:12:26.360Z",
        "created_at": "2018-09-18T01:12:26.360Z",
        "project_id": 1,
        "web_url": "http://example.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-test/snippets/41",
        "raw_url": "http://example.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-test/snippets/41/raw"
    }
]

Get a single snippet

Get a single snippet.

GET /snippets/:id

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
id integer yes ID of snippet to retrieve.

Example request:

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/1"

Example response:

{
  "id": 1,
  "title": "test",
  "file_name": "add.rb",
  "description": "Ruby test snippet",
  "visibility": "private",
  "author": {
    "id": 1,
    "username": "john_smith",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "name": "John Smith",
    "state": "active",
    "created_at": "2012-05-23T08:00:58Z"
  },
  "expires_at": null,
  "updated_at": "2012-06-28T10:52:04Z",
  "created_at": "2012-06-28T10:52:04Z",
  "project_id": null,
  "web_url": "http://example.com/snippets/1",
  "raw_url": "http://example.com/snippets/1/raw"
}

Single snippet contents

Get a single snippet's raw contents.

GET /snippets/:id/raw

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
id integer yes ID of snippet to retrieve.

Example request:

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/1/raw"

Example response:

Hello World snippet

Snippet repository file content

Returns the raw file content as plain text.

GET /snippets/:id/files/:ref/:file_path/raw

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
id integer yes ID of snippet to retrieve.
ref string yes Reference to a tag, branch or commit.
file_path string yes URL-encoded path to the file.

Example request:

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/1/files/main/snippet%2Erb/raw"

Example response:

Hello World snippet

Create new snippet

Create a new snippet.

NOTE: The user must have permission to create new snippets.

POST /snippets

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
title string yes Title of a snippet
file_name string no Deprecated: Use files instead. Name of a snippet file
content string no Deprecated: Use files instead. Content of a snippet
description string no Description of a snippet
visibility string no Snippet's visibility
files array of hashes no An array of snippet files
files:file_path string yes File path of the snippet file
files:content string yes Content of the snippet file

Example request:

curl --request POST "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets" \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" \
     -d @snippet.json

snippet.json used in the above example request:

{
  "title": "This is a snippet",
  "description": "Hello World snippet",
  "visibility": "internal",
  "files": [
    {
      "content": "Hello world",
      "file_path": "test.txt"
    }
  ]
}

Example response:

{
  "id": 1,
  "title": "This is a snippet",
  "description": "Hello World snippet",
  "visibility": "internal",
  "author": {
    "id": 1,
    "username": "john_smith",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "name": "John Smith",
    "state": "active",
    "created_at": "2012-05-23T08:00:58Z"
  },
  "expires_at": null,
  "updated_at": "2012-06-28T10:52:04Z",
  "created_at": "2012-06-28T10:52:04Z",
  "project_id": null,
  "web_url": "http://example.com/snippets/1",
  "raw_url": "http://example.com/snippets/1/raw",
  "ssh_url_to_repo": "ssh://git@gitlab.example.com:snippets/1.git",
  "http_url_to_repo": "https://gitlab.example.com/snippets/1.git",
  "file_name": "test.txt",
  "files": [
    {
      "path": "text.txt",
      "raw_url": "https://gitlab.example.com/-/snippets/1/raw/main/renamed.md"
    }
  ]
}

Update snippet

Update an existing snippet.

NOTE: The user must have permission to change an existing snippet.

PUT /snippets/:id

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
id integer yes ID of snippet to update
title string no Title of a snippet
file_name string no Deprecated: Use files instead. Name of a snippet file
content string no Deprecated: Use files instead. Content of a snippet
description string no Description of a snippet
visibility string no Snippet's visibility
files array of hashes sometimes An array of snippet files. Required when updating snippets with multiple files.
files:action string yes Type of action to perform on the file, one of: create, update, delete, move
files:file_path string no File path of the snippet file
files:previous_path string no Previous path of the snippet file
files:content string no Content of the snippet file

Example request:

curl --request PUT "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/1" \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" \
     -d @snippet.json

snippet.json used in the above example request:

{
  "title": "foo",
  "files": [
    {
      "action": "move",
      "previous_path": "test.txt",
      "file_path": "renamed.md"
    }
  ]
}

Example response:

{
  "id": 1,
  "title": "test",
  "description": "description of snippet",
  "visibility": "internal",
  "author": {
    "id": 1,
    "username": "john_smith",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "name": "John Smith",
    "state": "active",
    "created_at": "2012-05-23T08:00:58Z"
  },
  "expires_at": null,
  "updated_at": "2012-06-28T10:52:04Z",
  "created_at": "2012-06-28T10:52:04Z",
  "project_id": null,
  "web_url": "http://example.com/snippets/1",
  "raw_url": "http://example.com/snippets/1/raw",
  "ssh_url_to_repo": "ssh://git@gitlab.example.com:snippets/1.git",
  "http_url_to_repo": "https://gitlab.example.com/snippets/1.git",
  "file_name": "renamed.md",
  "files": [
    {
      "path": "renamed.md",
      "raw_url": "https://gitlab.example.com/-/snippets/1/raw/main/renamed.md"
    }
  ]
}

Delete snippet

Delete an existing snippet.

DELETE /snippets/:id

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
id integer yes ID of snippet to delete.

Example request:

curl --request DELETE --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/1"

The following are possible return codes:

Code Description
204 Delete was successful. No data is returned.
404 The snippet wasn't found.

List all public snippets

List all public snippets.

GET /snippets/public

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
per_page integer no Number of snippets to return per page.
page integer no Page to retrieve.
created_after datetime no Return snippets created after the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)
created_before datetime no Return snippets created before the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)

Example request:

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/public?per_page=2&page=1"

Example response:

[
    {
        "author": {
            "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/edaf55a9e363ea263e3b981d09e0f7f7?s=80&d=identicon",
            "id": 12,
            "name": "Libby Rolfson",
            "state": "active",
            "username": "elton_wehner",
            "web_url": "http://example.com/elton_wehner"
        },
        "created_at": "2016-11-25T16:53:34.504Z",
        "file_name": "oconnerrice.rb",
        "id": 49,
        "title": "Ratione cupiditate et laborum temporibus.",
        "updated_at": "2016-11-25T16:53:34.504Z",
        "project_id": null,
        "web_url": "http://example.com/snippets/49",
        "raw_url": "http://example.com/snippets/49/raw"
    },
    {
        "author": {
            "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/36583b28626de71061e6e5a77972c3bd?s=80&d=identicon",
            "id": 16,
            "name": "Llewellyn Flatley",
            "state": "active",
            "username": "adaline",
            "web_url": "http://example.com/adaline"
        },
        "created_at": "2016-11-25T16:53:34.479Z",
        "file_name": "muellershields.rb",
        "id": 48,
        "title": "Minus similique nesciunt vel fugiat qui ullam sunt.",
        "updated_at": "2016-11-25T16:53:34.479Z",
        "project_id": null,
        "web_url": "http://example.com/snippets/48",
        "raw_url": "http://example.com/snippets/49/raw",
        "visibility": "public"
    }
]

List all snippets

List all snippets the current user has access to. Users with the Administrator or Auditor access levels can see all snippets (both personal and project).

GET /snippets/all

Parameters:

Attribute Type Required Description
created_after datetime no Return snippets created after the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z).
created_before datetime no Return snippets created before the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z).
page integer no Page to retrieve.
per_page integer no Number of snippets to return per page.
repository_storage string no Filter by repository storage used by the snippet (administrators only). Introduced in GitLab 16.3

Example request:

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/all?per_page=2&page=1"

Example response:

[
  {
    "id": 113,
    "title": "Internal Project Snippet",
    "description": null,
    "visibility": "internal",
    "author": {
      "id": 17,
      "username": "tim_kreiger",
      "name": "Tim Kreiger",
      "state": "active",
      "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/edaf55a9e363ea263e3b981d09e0f7f7?s=80&d=identicon",
      "web_url": "http://example.com/tim_kreiger"
    },
    "created_at": "2023-08-03T10:21:02.480Z",
    "updated_at": "2023-08-03T10:21:02.480Z",
    "project_id": 35,
    "web_url": "http://example.com/tim_kreiger/internal_project/-/snippets/113",
    "raw_url": "http://example.com/tim_kreiger/internal_project/-/snippets/113/raw",
    "file_name": "",
    "files": [],
    "repository_storage": "default"
  },
  {
    "id": 112,
    "title": "Private Personal Snippet",
    "description": null,
    "visibility": "private",
    "author": {
      "id": 1,
      "username": "root",
      "name": "Administrator",
      "state": "active",
      "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/edaf55a9e363ea263e3b981d09e0f7f7?s=80&d=identicon",
      "web_url": "http://example.com/root"
    },
    "created_at": "2023-08-03T10:20:59.994Z",
    "updated_at": "2023-08-03T10:20:59.994Z",
    "project_id": null,
    "web_url": "http://example.com/-/snippets/112",
    "raw_url": "http://example.com/-/snippets/112/raw",
    "file_name": "",
    "files": [],
    "repository_storage": "default"
  },
  {
    "id": 111,
    "title": "Public Personal Snippet",
    "description": null,
    "visibility": "public",
    "author": {
      "id": 17,
      "username": "tim_kreiger",
      "name": "Tim Kreiger",
      "state": "active",
      "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/edaf55a9e363ea263e3b981d09e0f7f7?s=80&d=identicon",
      "web_url": "http://example.com/tim_kreiger"
    },
    "created_at": "2023-08-03T10:21:01.312Z",
    "updated_at": "2023-08-03T10:21:01.312Z",
    "project_id": null,
    "web_url": "http://example.com/-/snippets/111",
    "raw_url": "http://example.com/-/snippets/111/raw",
    "file_name": "",
    "files": [],
    "repository_storage": "default"
  },
]

Get user agent details

NOTE: Available only for administrators.

GET /snippets/:id/user_agent_detail
Attribute Type Required Description
id integer yes ID of snippet.

Example request:

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/snippets/1/user_agent_detail"

Example response:

{
  "user_agent": "AppleWebKit/537.36",
  "ip_address": "127.0.0.1",
  "akismet_submitted": false
}