# QMK API

This page describes using the QMK API. If you are an application developer you can use this API to compile firmware for any [QMK](https://qmk.fm) Keyboard.

## Overview

This service is an asynchronous API for compiling custom keymaps. You POST some JSON to the API, periodically check the status, and when your firmware has finished compiling you can download the resulting firmware and (if desired) source code for that firmware.

#### Example JSON Payload:

```json
{
  "keyboard": "clueboard/66/rev2",
  "keymap": "my_awesome_keymap",
  "layout": "LAYOUT_all",
  "layers": [
    ["KC_GRV","KC_1","KC_2","KC_3","KC_4","KC_5","KC_6","KC_7","KC_8","KC_9","KC_0","KC_MINS","KC_EQL","KC_GRV","KC_BSPC","KC_PGUP","KC_TAB","KC_Q","KC_W","KC_E","KC_R","KC_T","KC_Y","KC_U","KC_I","KC_O","KC_P","KC_LBRC","KC_RBRC","KC_BSLS","KC_PGDN","KC_CAPS","KC_A","KC_S","KC_D","KC_F","KC_G","KC_H","KC_J","KC_K","KC_L","KC_SCLN","KC_QUOT","KC_NUHS","KC_ENT","KC_LSFT","KC_NUBS","KC_Z","KC_X","KC_C","KC_V","KC_B","KC_N","KC_M","KC_COMM","KC_DOT","KC_SLSH","KC_RO","KC_RSFT","KC_UP","KC_LCTL","KC_LGUI","KC_LALT","KC_MHEN","KC_SPC","KC_SPC","KC_HENK","KC_RALT","KC_RCTL","MO(1)","KC_LEFT","KC_DOWN","KC_RIGHT"],
    ["KC_ESC","KC_F1","KC_F2","KC_F3","KC_F4","KC_F5","KC_F6","KC_F7","KC_F8","KC_F9","KC_F10","KC_F11","KC_F12","KC_TRNS","KC_DEL","BL_STEP","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","_______","KC_TRNS","KC_PSCR","KC_SLCK","KC_PAUS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","MO(2)","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_PGUP","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","MO(1)","KC_LEFT","KC_PGDN","KC_RGHT"],
    ["KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","RESET","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","MO(2)","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","MO(1)","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS","KC_TRNS"]
  ]
}
```

As you can see the payload describes all aspects of a keyboard necessary to create and generate a firmware. Each layer is a single list of QMK keycodes the same length as the keyboard's `LAYOUT` macro. If a keyboard supports mulitple `LAYOUT` macros you can specify which macro to use.

## Submitting a Compile Job

To compile your keymap into a firmware simply POST your JSON to the `/v1/compile` endpoint. In the following example we've placed the JSON payload into a file named `json_data`.

```
$ curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d "$(< json_data)" https://api.qmk.fm/v1/compile
{
  "enqueued": true,
  "job_id": "ea1514b3-bdfc-4a7b-9b5c-08752684f7f6"
}
```

## Checking The Status

After submitting your keymap you can check the status using a simple HTTP GET call:

```
$ curl https://api.qmk.fm/v1/compile/ea1514b3-bdfc-4a7b-9b5c-08752684f7f6
{
  "created_at": "Sat, 19 Aug 2017 21:39:12 GMT",
  "enqueued_at": "Sat, 19 Aug 2017 21:39:12 GMT",
  "id": "f5f9b992-73b4-479b-8236-df1deb37c163",
  "status": "running",
  "result": null
}
```

This shows us that the job has made it through the queue and is currently running. There are 5 possible statuses:

* **failed**: Something about the compiling service has broken.
* **finished**: The compilation is complete and you should check `result` to see the results.
* **queued**: The keymap is waiting for a compilation server to become available.
* **running**: The compilation is in progress and should be complete soon.
* **unknown**: A serious error has occurred and you should [file a bug](https://github.com/qmk/qmk_compiler/issues).

## Examining Finished Results

Once your compile job has finished you'll check the `result` key. The value of this key is a hash containing several key bits of information:

* `firmware_binary_url`: A list of URLs for the the flashable firmware
* `firmware_keymap_url`: A list of URLs for the the `keymap.c`
* `firmware_source_url`: A list of URLs for the full firmware source code
* `output`: The stdout and stderr for this compile job. Errors will be found here.
