API Usage
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are sets of rules and protocols used for building and interacting with software applications. They allow different software systems to communicate with each other.
The API Usage page in Zoho Expense provides insight into all API calls made to your organization, excluding those made from the web application. You can view details of API calls made from third-party apps, Deluge scripts, and other Zoho apps. The statistical charts on the dashboard provide an overview of API usage, top consumers, usage timeline, and recent API call details.
Scenario: Zylker Technologies uses Zoho Expense APIs to sync expense data with their internal accounting system. Bailey, the admin at Zylker, wants to monitor how many API calls are being made daily and receive alerts when usage is high. Using the API Usage page, Bailey can view the API consumption pattern, identify which modules and applications consume the most calls, and configure notifications when usage exceeds the set threshold.
Prerequisite: You must be an Admin to access the API Usage page in Zoho Expense.
To view the API usage of your organization:
- Go to Settings in the top right corner.
- Click API Usage under Developer & Data.
The API dashboard displays the API usage details of your organization.
Domain Type
Starting 1 June 2024, a new domain (www.zohoapis.com/expense/) was added for APIs. The Domain Type filter in the top right corner of the page lets you view all your APIs, the old (expense.zoho.com/api/v1/), and new (www.zohoapis.com/expense/) APIs. You can filter the data using the following options:
| Domain Type | Description |
|---|---|
| All Domains | Lists both the new and old domain usage. |
| New Domain | Lists only the new domain usage (www.zohoapis.com/expense/). |
| Old Domain | Lists only the old domain usage (expense.zoho.com/api/). |
API Usage as of Today
The API Usage as of Today section displays the number of API calls available for the day. The bar chart shows the calls that were used and the remaining number of calls that can be made.
Configure Usage Limit Notification
You can configure notifications to alert users when the API usage for a day exceeds the set threshold. To configure:
- Go to Settings in the top right corner.
- Click API Usage under Developer & Data.
- Click Configure Usage Limit Notification under API Usage as of Today.
- Select the API Usage (%) at which users should receive notifications. You can select multiple limits in increments of 5.
- Select the Email Recipients. If admins are added as email recipients, they will also receive in-app notifications.
- Click Send Sample Notification to check if the notifications are working properly.
- Click Save.
The usage limit notification is now configured. Users will receive notifications when the API usage exceeds the set threshold.
Increase API Limit Temporarily
If your organization is approaching its daily API limit, you can temporarily increase it based on the plan and API add-ons purchased. The increased limit is valid for 7 days from the date of activation.
To increase the API limit temporarily:
- Go to Settings in the top right corner.
- Click API Usage under Developer & Data.
- Click Increase API Limit Temporarily under API Usage as of Today.
- In the pop-up, review the increased API limit available for your organization and the expiration date.
- Click Increase Limit.
The daily API limit of your organization is now temporarily increased.
Note: You can temporarily increase the API limit only once for 7 days.
Usage Timeline
The Usage Timeline section displays a line chart showing the number of API calls made per day for the last 30 days in your organization. Hover over a point on a particular date to view the number of calls made on that date.
Note: The information in this section gets updated once every 3 hours.
Top API Usage Charts
The Top API Usage Charts section displays the top 5 API usage details using donut charts. Click a chart to view more details about the API calls.
To view details from a different time period, click the Today dropdown in the top right corner of the section and select the preferred duration.
Note: The information in this section gets updated once every 3 hours.
You can view the following charts in this section:
Top 5 Modules
View the top 5 modules for which API calls have been made in your organization.
To view module-wise API calls made for a particular duration:
- Go to Settings in the top right corner.
- Click API Usage under Developer & Data.
- Go to the Top API Usage Charts section.
- Hover over Top 5 Modules and click View All.
- You can filter API calls based on modules by clicking the All filter.
- You can also customize the report. Click Customize Report at the top.
- Select a Date Range and a Type.
- Click Run Report. The report displays the API calls made from different modules within the specified period.
Top 5 Applications
View the top 5 applications to which API calls have been made in your organization.
Note: The application name mentioned in this section refers to the name used in the Zoho API Console, not the actual name of the application.
To view the API calls made from an application for a particular duration:
- Go to Settings in the top right corner.
- Click API Usage under Developer & Data.
- Go to the Top API Usage Charts section.
- Hover over Top 5 Applications and click View All.
- You can filter API calls based on applications by clicking the All filter.
- You can also customize the report. Click Customize at the top.
- Select a Date Range and a Type.
- Click Run Report. The report displays the API calls made from different applications within the specified duration.
Top 5 IP Addresses
View the top 5 IP addresses from which the maximum number of API calls have been made.
To view the API calls made from a specific IP address for a particular duration:
- Go to Settings in the top right corner.
- Click API Usage under Developer & Data.
- Go to the Top API Usage Charts section.
- Hover over Top 5 IP Addresses and click View All.
- You can filter API calls based on IP addresses by clicking the All filter.
- You can also customize the report. Click Customize Report at the top.
- Select a Date Range and a Type.
- Click Run Report. The report displays the API calls made from different IP addresses within the specified duration.
Top 5 Users
View the top 5 users who have made the maximum number of API calls.
To view user-wise API calls:
- Go to Settings in the top right corner.
- Click API Usage under Developer & Data.
- Go to the Top API Usage Charts section.
- Hover over Top 5 Users and click View All.
- You can filter API calls based on users by clicking the All filter.
- You can also customize the report. Click Customize Report at the top.
- Select a Date Range and a Type.
- Click Run Report. The report displays the API calls made by users of your organization within the specified duration.
Recent Activities
The Recent Activities section displays the details of recent API calls. The following details are shown for each API call:
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| User | The user who made the API call. |
| Module | The module for which the API call was made. |
| IP Address | The IP address from which the API call was made. |
| Application | The application from which the API call was made. |
| Date and Time | The date and time at which the API call was made. |
Note: The information in this section gets updated once every 3 hours.