Open API In NowSignage

What the Open API is

The Open API in NowSignage is a secure integration layer that allows other systems to connect directly with your signage platform.

It enables external tools, applications, or data sources to interact with NowSignage in a controlled way, so content and system behaviour can be automated rather than managed manually.

NowSignage is designed as a cloud-based platform with built-in API integration capabilities that support scalable, enterprise-grade deployments across industries. 

What you can use it for

The Open API is intended to help you extend and automate your signage network, including:

• Automatically updating content from external systems
• Connecting live data sources to screens
• Triggering content changes based on events
• Integrating dashboards or business systems
• Managing large-scale updates across multiple screens

NowSignage also supports a wide range of built-in integrations (such as Power BI, weather, scheduling systems, and social feeds), many of which are powered by API connections behind the scenes. 

How it works

The Open API follows a simple request and response model:

1. A connected system sends a request to NowSignage
2. The platform validates authentication and permissions
3. The request is processed securely
4. A response confirms success or failure

This allows external systems to safely trigger updates without manual CMS interaction. https://www.nowsignage.com/resources/api/ 

Security and access control

Security is built into every API interaction.

• Only authenticated systems can access the API
• Access is controlled using secure API keys found in your CMS account located at: My Account > API Keys
• Permissions are scoped so systems only access allowed data
• Activity is logged for auditing and monitoring

For example, content trigger requests require an authorised API key with read/write permissions. https://knowledgebase.nowsignage.com/content-triggers-api-documentation 

What the API can and cannot do

What it CAN do

• Push or trigger content updates
• Integrate with approved external systems
• Support automated workflows
• Enable near real-time signage updates

What it CANNOT do

• Provide unrestricted access to all platform data
• Allow unauthorised system-wide control
• Replace the CMS interface
• Expose sensitive or unrelated account information

The API is intentionally scoped to ensure stability and security across all customers.

Relationship to the NowSignage platform

The Open API is designed to work alongside the core CMS, not replace it.

• The CMS remains the primary tool for building and scheduling content
• The API is used for automation and integration
• Both can operate together within the same setup

NowSignage is built to be hardware-agnostic and highly flexible, with integrations designed to fit into existing ecosystems.

Common use cases

Customers typically use the Open API for:

• Automated pricing or menu updates
• Trigger-based content changes
• Multi-site or enterprise-scale content updates
• Integration with existing business systems
• Screen Status reporting

Available developer resources

You can explore official documentation and technical references here:

• Developer API documentation
• Content Triggers API (event-based content control)
• Technical knowledgebase articles

Summary

The Open API in NowSignage is a secure, controlled way to connect external systems to your signage network.

It enables automation, real-time updates, and system integration while keeping full control inside the NowSignage CMS.

Common API questions

1. Rate Limiting

NowSignage implements rate limiting on all API endpoints to ensure platform stability and fair usage across all customers.

No more than 750 requests can be made within a 5-minute period from a single IP address range.

If your integration requires a higher request volume, please contact our support team with a full specification of your use case and integration requirements. We will review your needs and advise on the best approach.

2. GET Screens — Understanding last_connected_at

The GET screens endpoint does not return a real-time online/offline status.

Instead, the endpoint provides a last_connected_at timestamp. There are two important factors to consider when interpreting this value:

Update frequency and rate limiting By default, screens communicate with the NowSignage API every 5 minutes. However, for rate limiting purposes, the last_connected_at value in the API response only refreshes every 30 minutes, unless the screen receives a specific content change or update in the interim.

Timezone — UTC vs BST All timestamps returned via the API are in UTC. If your servers are operating in BST (UTC+1), you must account for the 1-hour offset in any time-filtering logic or offline detection calculations. Without this adjustment, your application may incorrectly flag screens as offline or behind schedule.

3. Pagination

The API returns a maximum of 50 records per request on any GET endpoint that can return multiple results (such as screens, playlists, images, and similar resources). To retrieve records beyond the first page, you will need to make additional requests by incrementing the page parameter.

Example:

To retrieve all records, your application should loop through pages until all results have been fetched. The meta object in the JSON response includes the total number of pages available, so you can determine exactly how many requests are needed before beginning.