Control API

The Ably Control API is a REST API that enables you to programmatically manage your Ably account. Use the Control API to automate the provisioning, configuration, and management of your Ably apps, API keys, queues, and integration rules.

Overview

The Control API enables you to:

• Create, update, and delete Ably apps
• Manage API keys and their capabilities
• Configure namespaces and channel rules
• Set up queues and integration rules
• Query account and app statistics
• Automate multi-tenant deployments

When to Use Control API

The Control API is ideal for:

• Automating app provisioning and configuration
• Building multi-tenant SaaS applications
• Creating configuration-driven environments
• Programmatic testing and CI/CD pipelines
• Building administrative tools and dashboards

Getting Started

Authentication

The Control API uses Bearer token authentication. First, create an access token in the Ably dashboard:

1. Select your account from the top menu
2. Choose My Access Tokens
3. Click Create new access token
4. Select the required capabilities
5. Copy the generated token

Use the token in the Authorization header:

Base URL

All Control API requests use:

Core Resources

Apps

Manage Ably applications:

API Keys

Manage API keys for your apps:

Namespaces

Configure channel rules using namespaces:

Queues

Manage message queues:

Rules

Configure integration rules:

Resource Identifiers

Account ID

Find your account ID in the dashboard:

1. Select your account from the top menu
2. Choose Account settings
3. Copy the Account ID

App ID

Find your app ID in the dashboard:

1. Select your app
2. Go to the Settings tab
3. Copy the App ID (also the first part of your API key)

Statistics

Query usage statistics:

Error Handling

The Control API returns standard HTTP status codes:

Common status codes:

• 200 - Success
• 201 - Created
• 400 - Bad Request
• 401 - Unauthorized
• 403 - Forbidden
• 404 - Not Found
• 429 - Too Many Requests
• 500 - Internal Server Error

Rate Limits

The Control API has rate limits:

• Standard operations: 100 requests per minute
• Statistics queries: 20 requests per minute

See rate limits for details.

OpenAPI Specification

The Control API is documented using OpenAPI 3.0. Download the specification from the Ably OpenAPI repository.

Use the specification to:

• Generate client libraries
• Import into API testing tools (Postman, Insomnia)
• Create mock servers
• Generate documentation

Examples

Multi-Tenant App Provisioning

Automate app creation for each tenant:

Configuration Replication

Copy configuration from one app to another:

Related Resources

• Control API User Guide
• OpenAPI Specification
• Authentication Guide
• Integration Rules
• Queues Documentation