content-store: Content Store API
Content items
ContentItem is the base unit of content in the content store. They have both a
private and public-facing JSON representation. More details on these
representations and the meanings of the individual fields can be found in
content_item_fields.md.
Writing content items to the content store
Content is written by the publishing API, which is used by back-end publishing apps such as Travel Advice Publisher.
To add or update a piece of content in the content store, make a PUT request:
curl https://content-store.publishing.service.gov.uk/content<base_path> -X PUT \
-H 'Content-type: application/json' \
-d '<content_item_json>'
where <base_path> is the path on GOV.UK where the content lives (for example
/vat-rates) and <content_item_json> is the JSON for the content item as
outlined in input_examples.
There is currently an API adapter in gds-api-adapters for writing content to content-store, although it is likely that this will soon be extracted to a separate gem.
Reading content from the content store
Content is retrieved from the content store via the content API, which takes a path and responds with a JSON representation of the content that should be displayed on that path. This API is used by front-end apps but is also exposed externally at /api/content/<path>, such as https://www.gov.uk/api/content/take-pet-abroad
To retrieve content from the content store, make a GET request:
curl https://content-store.publishing.service.gov.uk/content<path>
If the path matches a base_path content will be returned, whereas if the
path matches a route a 303 redirect will be returned to the content at the
base_path.
Examples of the JSON representation of content items can be found in output_examples.
Not all content exists as a standalone page like the /take-pet-abroad example. Some content exists as a collection that references other pieces of content, and some content exists as meta content designed to describe a wider whole. We use govuk-content-schemas to describe all these different content types. The content API itself is not prescriptive about this; it takes any JSON structure.