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Core Concepts

This page introduces the foundational ideas and patterns that power the platform. Understanding these concepts will help you get the most out of the API and build robust integrations for 3D printing workflows.

1. Authentication & Security

All API endpoints require authentication using a Bearer JWT token. You generate tokens from your Cloud Slicer dashboard and include them in the Authorization header of every request.

Reminder: Keep your API tokens secure. Never share them publicly or commit them to version control.

2. Account Management

Manage your account and uploads through dedicated endpoints:

  • GET /user Retrieve your account details
  • GET /user/uploads List all of the files you've uploaded to your account. These are listed from newest to oldest.

3. Part Info

Check if your models are printable and get part dimensions:

  • POST /printability/{file_id} Gets measurements of the uploaded file in order to check that the part will fit in the printer before your generate a quote.

If you are familiar with Three JS, you can calculate this with Javascript on the client side of your web app, bypassing the need to use this endpoint. This is provided as an alternative to give you more options.

4. Quote Operations

Upload, download, and delete STL files to Cloud Slicer:

  • Upload ID: GET /file/upload-id - Get an upload_id to upload a new STL file with the public upload route.
  • Public Upload: POST /file/public/{upload-id} - This route does NOT require authentication. Use this on your client side to upload the file directly to our storage.

    Using the Public Upload route lets you avoid having to route large files through your backend server. This route uses the upload_id you generated earlier to securely upload an STL file and prevent any CORS errors with the Cloud Slicer API.

  • Upload: POST /file — Upload a new STL file (this should only be done from the server side to prevent exposing your token, see above)
  • Download: GET /file/{file_id} — Retrieve a file per its file_id
  • Delete: DELETE /file/{file_id} — Remove a file you no longer need per its file_id
  • Quote: POST /file/quote/{file_id} — Generate an instant quote for a given STL file with a printer profile per its file_id.

5. Printer & Quote profiles

Generating instant quotes for your 3D prints:

  • printer_config This allows you to configure a profile that matches your printer so you can dial in your instant quote accuracy for print time and material usage.
  • quote_config This allows you to create a custom pricig profile to match your business needs. You can set your own material costs, hourly rates, base cost (think of this as a minumum spend), and your currency.

6. Slicing & G-code Generation

Slice STL files with a POST request to the /file route to generate the G-code for your .stl file based off of the printer_config you have provided. Using G-code as the source of truth allows you to get the most accurate cost and material usage estimates possible.

7. RESTful, Versioned API

  • All endpoints are versioned (e.g., /v1/)
  • Uses standard HTTP protocols: GET, POST, DELETE, PUT
  • Follows OpenAPI standards for schema and documentation
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