Make Your First Request

Walk through obtaining a token and querying the Udacity Public API — starting with the Catalog, then adding learner progress data.

Endpoints

POSThttps://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/tokens/graphql

POSThttps://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/catalog/graphql

POSThttps://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/program-progress/graphql

POSThttps://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/assessment-progress/graphql

POSThttps://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/learning-plan-progress/graphql

Before you begin

Prerequisites

A Client ID and Client Secret — see Generate API Credentials
A way to make HTTP requests: curl, Postman, or the interactive Playground

All Udacity API endpoints accept POST requests with a JSON body containing a query field. You only receive the fields you request.

Base URL

https://api.udacity.com/api/public/api

Step 1

Get a token

Exchange your credentials for a short-lived bearer token. The Tokens API is the only endpoint that doesn’t require an Authorization header.

unredactedTokenstring

Your bearer token. Use as YOUR_TOKEN in all subsequent requests. Store it securely — it grants full API access.

expiresIninteger (seconds)

Token lifetime — 3600 by default (1 hour). Refresh before it expires.

Request

curl -X POST https://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/tokens/graphql \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "mutation($input: GenerateTokenInput!) { generateToken(input: $input) { unredactedToken expiresIn } }",
    "variables": {
      "input": {
        "clientId":     "udcl_YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
        "clientSecret": "udcs_YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
      }
    }
  }'

Response

{
  "data": {
    "generateToken": {
      "unredactedToken": "a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4",
      "expiresIn": 3600
    }
  }
}

Step 2

List your programs

With a token, make your first data request. Pass it in the Authorization header — note the scheme is Token, not Bearer.

GraphQL returns exactly the fields you ask for. Start narrow and expand your selection as needed.

Request

curl -X POST https://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/catalog/graphql \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"query": "{ catalog { companyId programs { key title } } }"}'

Response

{
  "data": {
    "catalog": {
      "companyId": "4821",
      "programs": [
        { "key": "nd00113", "title": "Cloud Architecture" },
        { "key": "cd12345", "title": "Intro to Cloud Computing" }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 3

Get the full catalog

The Catalog API returns programs, assessments, and learning plans in a single query. Expand your field selection to pull everything at once.

Only request fields you need — lean queries keep payloads small and response times fast, even for large catalogs.

Request

curl -X POST https://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/catalog/graphql \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "query": "{ catalog { companyId programs { key title type } assessments { id title category } learningPlans { id title key } } }"
  }'

Response

{
  "data": {
    "catalog": {
      "companyId": "4821",
      "programs": [
        { "key": "nd00113", "title": "Cloud Architecture", "type": "NANODEGREE" }
      ],
      "assessments": [
        { "id": "87fac66e", "title": "Python Fundamentals", "category": "PASS_FAIL" }
      ],
      "learningPlans": [
        { "id": "fd6f0490", "title": "Cloud Engineering Onboarding", "key": "cloud-eng" }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 4

Query learner progress

The Program Progress API returns enrollment and completion data for all learners in your organization. Progress queries use cursor-based pagination via an input object.

pageInfo.hasNextPageboolean

When true, pass pageInfo.endCursor as the after argument in your next call. See Pagination.

completionPercentagefloat

Progress from 0.0 to 100.0 across all program content.

Request

curl -X POST https://api.udacity.com/api/public/api/v1/program-progress/graphql \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "query": "{ programProgress(input: { first: 5 }) { totalCount pageInfo { hasNextPage endCursor } edges { node { userEmail enrollmentStatus programKey completionPercentage } } } }"
  }'

Response

{
  "data": {
    "programProgress": {
      "totalCount": 342,
      "pageInfo": { "hasNextPage": true, "endCursor": "eyJpZCI6IjUifQ==" },
      "edges": [
        {
          "node": {
            "userEmail": "j.martinez@acmecorp.com",
            "enrollmentStatus": "ENROLLED",
            "programKey": "nd00113",
            "completionPercentage": 65.0
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Reference

Response shape & errors

Every Udacity GraphQL response uses the same envelope: data with your result and an optional errors array.

Response envelope

// Every response:
{ "data": { ... } }

// With errors:
{
  "data": null,
  "errors": [{
    "message": "Not authorized",
    "extensions": { "code": "UNAUTHORIZED" }
  }]
}