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Reporting and Metrics APIs

NetFoundry exposes network telemetry through two APIs backed by Elasticsearch: the Reporting API and the Metrics API. Both require authentication using an access token from your identity provider.

Reporting API

The Reporting API is the simpler of the two. It uses a template system to wrap common Elasticsearch queries so you can retrieve useful data by supplying a template name and a handful of query parameters—no knowledge of Elasticsearch query syntax required. For most use cases, start here.

Use the Reporting API when you want:

  • Pre-built queries for common use cases (utilization summaries, entity change events, service health, etc.)
  • Easier response parsing
  • Faster integration with minimal boilerplate

See Reporting API for the full template reference.

Metrics API

The Metrics API gives you direct POST access to the underlying Elasticsearch indices. You write the full query body, which lets you filter, aggregate, and shape results in any way Elasticsearch supports. It's more powerful but requires familiarity with the Elasticsearch Query DSL.

Use the Metrics API when you need:

  • Custom aggregations or filters not covered by existing templates
  • Full control over the query structure
  • Access to raw documents

See Metrics API for examples.