Use the Push API

The articles in this section explain how to use the Push API.

The Push API exposes services which allow you to push items and their permission models into a source, and security identities into a security identity provider, rather than letting standard Coveo crawlers pull this content.

There’s no graphical user interface sitting on top of the Push API, so you need to perform your own HTTP calls when you want to use its services.

The following diagram provides a visual overview of the main interactions between custom crawlers, the Push API and a Coveo organization.

Push API Usage Overview

In general, using the Push API requires the following set up:

1. Create a Push source.

2. If your Push source is secured, create a security identity provider.

3. Create any fields you require in your index (see Creating Fields).

   In contrast with creating a standard source, creating a Push source never generates fields in your index as a side effect.

4. Configure any mappings you require in your Push source (see Manage the Mapping Configuration of a Source).

   In contrast with a standard source, a new Push source doesn’t include default mappings. However you should be aware that Push sources have a peculiar default behavior when it comes to populating fields with metadata values (see About Push Source Item Metadata).

After this set up, you would use the Push API. In general this consists of writing code to regularly:

1. Extract item metadata, and possibly permissions and security identities, from an original content repository.

2. Add, update, or delete content as appropriate in your Push source and security identity provider using the Push API. See:

   • Manage Items and Permissions in a Push Source

   • Manage Security Identities in a Security Identity Provider

If you have never used the Push API before, a good way to get started is to go through the Push API Usage Example.