API Access in Labvanced: Overview
Labvanced offers three main APIs that fit different use cases. They are described below:
REST API: The REST API is used to fetch experiment and session data and download it programmatically after the recordings have been completed. A unique token is generated within the Labvanced platform and this is then used to access the data. The REST API allows researchers to access and download data directly on their servers, instead of downloading data and saving it locally on their device which is important for organizations who have a pipeline protocol for data handling. The REST API is available to all Labvanced users. Read more about how to utilize the REST API.
Webhook API: The Webhook API allows for data fetching while the experiment is recording. It is used for a one-way communication, ie. for sending data to be saved to a specified server outside of Labvanced. The main use case for the Labvanced External Data Storage Webhook API is to transfer the participant’s data in “real time” to a remote / external server, an alternative to hosting the recorded and collected data on the Labvanced servers. This functionality is available online to Lab license holders. Please note that the Webhook API requires configuration on your backend so Labvanced can automatically call the endpoints you have specified in order to send the collected participant data directly to your database/backend instead of to ours. Read more about how to implement the Webhook API.
WebSocket API: The custom WebSocket connection allows to connect Labvanced at runtime with any other server. It is used for instances where you need to send data bi-directionally between two servers. This allows you to connect Labvanced with a server that can be online or it can be a local host, which is the case when connecting external devices with Labvanced via LSL integration. You can accomplish this with a script-based solution that allows you to customize basic Python code in order to meet your lab / research needs by running it locally as a separate program on the computer. Read more about how to use the WebSocket API across several use cases, such as for connecting your devices with Labvanced.
Please go through the relevant documentation for the relevant API you are interested in and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!