When it comes to API/customization features, I think of things in terms of 3 buckets: Supported, Unsupported, and Forbidden. Let me explain what these things mean and how they apply to the PLM 360 API.
Supported means it’s publically documented. If you run into difficulties, you can expect help. If you run into defects, you can expect them to be addressed. If an API changes, you can expect proper notice.
In the case of PLM 360, it’s easy to tell what is supported.
| If it’s part of the public documentation, then it’s supported. If it’s not part of the public documentation, then it’s not supported. |
Unsupported means “use at your own risk”. Undocumented functions are the best examples of this category. It’s something that you technically can use, but don’t expect help or documentation. Things can change without notice.
In the cloud world, I highly recommend you avoid using unsupported APIs. For an installed product, these features are less risky because you control the upgrade. You are control when the upgrade happens and can roll back if something goes wrong. PLM 360 doesn’t give you that flexibility. If you use an unsupported API, you may find that your app, which was working on Friday, doesn’t work any more on Monday morning.
For PLM 360, the undocumented REST URLs fall into this category. There are actually parts of REST v2 that are undocumented, so don’t assume that everything with /api/v2 in the URL is supported.
Forbidden means we at Autodesk don’t want you touching a certain part of the system. This includes things that violate the license agreement (like reverse engineering) and things that violate data integrity (database modification in Vault).
For the PLM 360 API, forbidden mainly applies to security features and things that are blatantly illegal. Attempts to circumvent our security system and misuse of user data fall under this category. If you are ever in doubt, ask. We will be happy to point you in the right direction.
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