Live content

API at a glance

Description: This API allows you to insert personalized content recommendations in your website and mobile apps. It returns dynamic content based on user identity and context, including product recommendations and tracking URLs.

Authentication & testing

Testing the API on this page

How to try it here

Use your User API Key as the Username (leave Password blank).

Select the appropriate API endpoint based on your Blueshift region.

Enter the necessary parameters and click Try It to run the request.

Authentication using Base64 encoding

Note for developers

API requests require authentication using HTTP Basic Authentication with an API key. The API key serves as the username, while the password field should be left empty. The format to encode is: your_api_key: (note the trailing colon).

This string must be Base64-encoded and included in the request's Authorization header as follows:

Authorization: Basic encoded_value

You can generate the encoded value using a trusted Base64 encoder.

Postman collection

Try it with Postman: Explore the API using Blueshift's Postman collection.

Things to know before you start

Slot configuration: The slot name must be registered in the Blueshift app before making API calls.
User identification: Provide at least one user identifier (customer_id, email, cookie, or device_id) in the user object.
Context parameters: Use context to refine recommendations with seed items, exclusions, and pagination.
Tracking URLs: The response includes impression_url and click_url for tracking user interactions.
Use case: Best for powering recommendation widgets, personalized carousels, dynamic product sections, and real-time content personalization.

Request parameters

Check out the request parameters

Body parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`slot`	`string`	✅ Yes	Specify the name of the slot as registered on the Blueshift app.
`api_key`	`string`	✅ Yes	Specify the Event API key from your account settings.
`user`	`object`	✅ Yes	User identification object. See structure below.
`context`	`object`	❌ No	Context for recommendations (seed items, exclusions, pagination). See structure below.

User object

Note: Provide at least one user identifier.

Parameter	Type	Description
`customer_id`	`string`	Specify the customer ID of the user.
`email`	`string`	Specify the email address of the user.
`cookie`	`string`	Specify the user's Blueshift cookie (for anonymous users).
`device_id`	`string`	Specify the UUID of the device.

Context object

Parameter	Type	Description
`seed_item_ids`	`array`	IDs of items that form the basis of replay or related items recommendations.
`exclude_item_ids`	`array`	IDs of items to exclude from the response.
`exclude_categories`	`array`	Categories to exclude from the response.
`page_number`	`integer`	Page number for paginated recommendations (if pagination is enabled).

Example requests & responses

Get live content recommendations

Request

curl --request POST \
     --url https://api.getblueshift.com/live \
     --header 'accept: application/json' \
     --header 'content-type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "slot": "Promotions_Homepage_Carousel_JSON",
       "api_key": "<YOUR_EVENT_API_KEY>",
       "user": {
         "customer_id": "812123",
         "email": "[email protected]"
       },
       "context": {
         "seed_item_ids": ["item_1", "item_2"],
         "exclude_categories": ["clearance"],
         "page_number": 1
       }
     }'

Response

{
  "content": {
    "products": [
      {
        "image_url": "https://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9780140437911",
        "name": "Saint Joan",
        "price": 14,
        "sku": "9780140437911",
        "url": "http://www.blueshiftreads.com/products/drama-european-english-irish-scottish-welsh/saint-joan"
      },
      {
        "image_url": "https://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9780142410806",
        "name": "Free Baseball",
        "price": 5.99,
        "sku": "9780142410806",
        "url": "http://www.blueshiftreads.com/products/juvenile-fiction-sports-recreation-baseball-softball/free-baseball"
      }
    ],
    "user": {
      "firstname": "Jane",
      "lastname": "Doe"
    }
  },
  "feedback": {
    "errors": [],
    "selected_experiment_uuid": "175d4f44-f1f0-438c-ad38-f4ede2047974",
    "selected_trigger_uuid": "d181abb6-d5d5-4120-8c9b-c0de724576d6",
    "skipped_triggers": {
      "d181abb6-d5d5-4120-8c9b-c0de724576d6": "Active ( launch preview simulation is enabled )"
    }
  },
  "success": true,
  "tracking": {
    "click_url": "http://api.getblueshift.com/track?uid=d1a50376-4f62-46d0-b4a3-36ca0bd2f9cc&eid=175d4f44-f1f0-438c-ad38-f4ede2047974&mid=42a62e43-438a-4cf9-ac1d-a24706fe3065&a=click",
    "impression_url": "http://api.getblueshift.com/track?uid=d1a50376-4f62-46d0-b4a3-36ca0bd2f9cc&eid=175d4f44-f1f0-438c-ad38-f4ede2047974&mid=42a62e43-438a-4cf9-ac1d-a24706fe3065&a=open"
  }
}

API error responses

Note
The following error codes are commonly returned by Blueshift APIs. Depending on the specific endpoint, not all may apply.

Status code	Description	Example responses
400 Bad Request	The request is invalid due to missing or incorrect parameters. This includes missing fields, invalid values, formatting issues, or conflicts such as duplicate data.	`{ "errors": { "name": ["can't be blank"] } }` `{ "errors": { "startdate": ["can't be blank"] } }`
401 Unauthorized	API authentication failed due to an invalid or missing API key.	`{ "message": "Not authorized" }`
403 Forbidden	The API key does not have sufficient permissions to perform this action.	`{ "message": "Permission denied" }`
404 Not Found	The specified campaign was not found. Verify the campaign UUID.	`{ "message": "Campaign not found" }`
422 Unprocessable Entity	The campaign cannot be paused due to its current status (e.g., already completed or archived). One or more scheduling parameters may be invalid (if applicable).	`{ "message": "Campaign cannot be paused in its current status." }` `{ "message": "Invalid schedule values" }`
429 Too Many Requests	The request limit has been exceeded. Reduce request frequency.	`{ "message": "Rate limit exceeded" }`
500 Internal Server Error	An unexpected server error occurred. Contact support if the issue persists.	`{ "message": "Internal Server Error - Please contact support for more information." }`
502 Bad Gateway	The server received an invalid response. Retry the request.	`{ "message": "Bad Gateway - Please retry the request." }`
503 Service Unavailable	The service is temporarily unavailable. Try again later.	`{ "message": "Service Unavailable - The service is temporarily unavailable. Try again later." }`
504 Gateway Timeout	The server took too long to respond. Retry the request with exponential backoff.	`{ "message": "Gateway Timeout - The server took too long to respond. Retry with exponential backoff." }`