Pega Digital Experience (DX) API Overview
Pega Digital Experience (DX) API is a set of model-driven REST API endpoints that enable you to programmatically view, create, and update cases and assignments.
DX APIs are best used in web self-service use cases where it is important to align your user experience with your digital strategy while continuing to enable your business users to define and modify your application cases and user interface within Pega’s no-code model.DX APIs provide UI metadata that helps you develop a seamless user experience within your chosen front-end framework, while using the power of Pega’s case management capability. If the custom front end is correctly built by using the DX API responses, it can automatically adjust to changes in Pega Platform. As a result, a single model can supply an interface that is rendered through standard Pega UI, mobile, mashup, or a custom front end.
The difference between a DX API and a traditional API is that the case or assignment UX information in the DX API’s response includes information on UI elements, layout, actions, and styling. DX API leverages Pega’s user interface rules together with Pega’s business rules to return JSON-equivalent structures that you can render with your native interface.
The DX API responses can be used to construct a custom front end. The Angular, Vue, and React starter packs on the Pega marketplace include an interpreter that can automatically process the response and initialize appropriate front-end components in the design system of your choice. The starter packs are packaged with a Pega application but they can be altered to point to your own applications. The code can be used as-is or can be updated to match your coding practices or design system components.
The starter packs can be accessed at the following links:
You can use various DX API endpoints to create cases, display case-related information,
and obtain and submit assignments. For example, POST
/attachments/upload helps you upload a file that you can later attach to a
case. Endpoints are included in the URL, for example:
https://11.11.111.11:0000/prweb/api/v1/attachments/upload.
The following scenarios are typical use cases for DX API:
- If you have your own user interface and want to display case information using external resources, you can use DX APIs to render the case information within your UI.
If you do not have your own user interface and perform case processing in the back end, you can call DX APIs to create cases, and retrieve and submit assignments.
See the following articles to learn more about DX API:
- Differences between DX API v1 and DX API v2
Pega DX API Version 1 and Version 2 apply to different scenarios. By learning about the differences between the two versions, you can decide which approach suits your use case better.
- Feature support with stateless DX API
DX API v1 is packaged under API service package. REST services under these packages are processed in a stateless manner. In stateless applications, when a request is fulfilled, the requestor that processes the request is terminated. Learn about the limitations of various features with stateless applications.
- Page-related operation queuing with page instructions
Pega APIs provide page instructions that you can use to make your application queue a list of page-related operations and send them to the server after the user performs a submit or a refresh. The server then runs the user operations in the order in which they were received.
- Debugging DX API
Investigate your DX API that returns incorrect results to identify issues and correct the API behavior. Debugging is a critical tool for maintaining the good quality and health of your APIs.
- DX API Version 1
DX API Version 1 focuses on section-based authoring. Learn how to access, use, and successfully implement DX APIs in your application.
- DX API Version 2
DX API Version 2 focuses on view-based authoring and requires that your application uses the React-based UI runtime. Learn how to access, use, and successfully implement DX APIs in your application.
Next topic Differences between DX API v1 and DX API v2