Adobe Sign API Essential Guide

What type of API does Adobe Sign provide?

Adobe Sign has a REST API.

Here are the key points about Adobe Sign's API:

• Adobe Sign offers a REST API for integrating with the e-signature service.

• The REST API is the recommended API to use. Adobe recommends migrating from the older SOAP API to the REST API.

• The REST API documentation and information can be accessed by logging into your Adobe Sign account and navigating to Account > Acrobat Sign API > API Information > Rest APIs and Documentation.

• The REST API supports webhooks for receiving notifications about events.

• API access is reserved for enterprise and developer tier accounts.

• The REST API uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication.

• There are SDKs and developer guides available for working with the REST API.

Some best practices for using the Adobe Sign REST API include:

• Use the correct API endpoint/shard (na1, na2, etc.) for your account
• Implement proper OAuth 2.0 authentication flow
• Use refresh tokens to generate new access tokens as needed
• Configure webhooks to receive real-time notifications

In summary, Adobe Sign provides a modern REST API as the primary integration method for developers to build e-signature functionality into their applications and workflows. The REST API offers comprehensive capabilities for managing the full e-signature process programmatically.

Does the Adobe Sign API have webhooks?

Yes, the official Adobe Sign API does have webhooks. Here are the key points about Adobe Sign webhooks:

Webhook Support

Adobe Sign (now called Adobe Acrobat Sign) officially supports webhooks as part of its API.

Event Types

You can subscribe to various types of events through Adobe Sign webhooks. Some of the main event categories include:

1. Agreement Events

   • Examples: AGREEMENT_CREATED, AGREEMENT_SHARED, AGREEMENT_SIGNED, etc.

2. Library Events

   • Examples: LIBRARY_DOCUMENT_CREATED, LIBRARY_DOCUMENT_MODIFIED, etc.

3. Bulk Signing Events (MegaSign)

   • Examples: MEGASIGN_CREATED, MEGASIGN_RECALLED, etc.

4. Web Form Events (Widget)

   • Examples: WIDGET_CREATED, WIDGET_MODIFIED, etc.

Key Features

• Webhooks allow real-time notifications of workflow events without polling.
• They support different levels of scope (Account/Group/User/Resource).
• Multiple webhooks can be configured per scope.
• Webhooks allow for the selection of specific data to be returned in the payload.

Configuration

• Webhooks can be configured via the Adobe Sign UI or through the API.
• When setting up a webhook, you need to specify:
  1. An event name
  2. A resource type and corresponding resource identifier
  3. A webhook URL for receiving event notifications

Security

Adobe Sign implements several security measures for webhooks, including:

• Only HTTPS URLs are allowed
• Two-way SSL authentication
• IP validation
• Avoiding sending sensitive information in payloads

Best Practices

• Use webhooks for real-time updates instead of polling
• Implement proper error handling and retry mechanisms
• Ensure your webhook endpoint can handle the expected load

In summary, Adobe Sign's API offers comprehensive webhook support, allowing developers to subscribe to a wide range of events across different resource types, providing real-time updates and improving the efficiency of integrations with the Adobe Sign platform.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Here are the key points about the API rate limits for Adobe Sign API:

Rate Limiting Overview

• Adobe Sign uses rate limiting to prevent APIs from being overwhelmed by too many requests [4].
• Rate limits are measured in requests per minute (RPM) and requests per day (RPD) [3].
• Limits are imposed at the organization level, not the user level [3].

How Rate Limiting Works

• When a request is throttled, the client will receive an HTTP 429 "Too Many Requests" response [4].
• This means the user has consumed over the limit of allowed resources within a certain time frame (per-minute, per-hour, or per-day limit) [4].
• Different parameters passed to the same endpoint might contribute a different amount of resource consumption [4].

Factors Affecting Rate Limits

• Your service package (small business, business, enterprise) directly influences your transaction rate [4].
• Higher tiers of service have higher throttle thresholds [4].

Best Practices for Handling Rate Limits

• Use the 'retry-after' header to determine how long to wait before retrying a request [3].
• Implement error handling for HTTP 429 responses in your code [2].
• Consider using sideloading to reduce the number of API calls needed [2].

Example Rate Limits

While specific rate limits for Adobe Sign API are not provided in the search results, here's an example from another Adobe API for context:

• Adobe Firefly API: Limits are measured in requests per minute (RPM) and requests per day (RPD) [3].

Key Considerations

• Rate limits are standard practice for APIs to prevent abuse, ensure fair usage, manage server load, protect against downtime, and control costs [3].
• If you encounter rate limit issues, it's recommended to contact Adobe support to discuss optimal thresholds for your account [3].

It's important to note that the specific rate limits for Adobe Sign API are not provided in the search results. For accurate and up-to-date information on Adobe Sign API rate limits, it would be best to consult the official Adobe Sign API documentation or contact Adobe support directly.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points regarding the most recent version of the Adobe Sign API:

Latest Version

The most recent version of the Adobe Sign API is REST v6. This version was introduced in 2016 and is still the current version as of 2024 [5].

Key Points

• REST v6 introduced numerous enhancements and features compared to previous versions [5].

• All versions prior to v6 (including v5 and SOAP-based APIs) are deprecated, though they continue to function [5].

• The latest API release notes are regularly updated, with the most recent updates being from July 2023 [5].

Major Enhancements in v6

1. Pagination Support
2. Constant IDs
3. ETag support
4. GET, PUT, POST consistency
5. Performance improvements
6. Asynchronous APIs
7. Hosted Signing
8. Simple Agreement Creation
9. Authorization header changes [5]

New Features in v6

• Agreement sharing
• Authoring APIs
• Document visibility
• Draft management
• Notes management
• Reminders
• Resource views
• Resource visibility
• Suppress email
• Webhooks [5]

Best Practices

• Developers should migrate from older API versions to Version 6.
• Refer to the API Change Log for detailed information on enhancements, features, and changes from prior versions.
• Use the Acrobat Sign API Reference for quick reference and to try out APIs without writing code [5].

In summary, while Adobe Sign continues to update its API with new features and bug fixes, the core API version (REST v6) has remained stable since its introduction in 2016. Developers should use this latest version for new integrations and consider migrating existing integrations to take advantage of the improvements and new features.

How to get a Adobe Sign developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for Adobe Sign and create an API integration, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Adobe Sign Developer Edition signup page.

2. Fill out the form to create a free developer account. This account includes:

   • Access to the Acrobat Sign API
   • Testing for document exchange and execution
   • Testing for emailing copies of signed agreements

3. Once your account is created, you'll be able to access the Acrobat Sign API and start creating signing workflows.

4. In the Acrobat Sign web UI, create an application to get started with the APIs. This will provide you with:

   • An app ID
   • An app secret
   • OAuth configuration options

5. Configure OAuth scopes for your application to determine what API access it will have.

6. Create an authorization request link that users will use to grant your app access to their Acrobat Sign account.

7. Configure a redirect URI on your server to receive the authorization code after a user grants access.

8. Use the authorization code to request an access token, which you'll use to make API calls.

What can you do with the Adobe Sign API?

Based on the search results, here are the key data models you can interact with using the Adobe Sign API, along with what is possible for each:

• Agreements:

• Create and send agreements for signature
• Check agreement signing status
• Download signed agreements
• Add form fields to agreements
• Manage agreement lifecycle (cancel, delegate, replace recipients, etc.)
• Set expiration dates
• Add notes
• Share/unshare agreements

• Users:

• Add users (individually or in bulk)
• Manage user roles and permissions
• Edit user information
• Authenticate users

• Groups:

• Create and manage user groups
• Set group permissions

• Templates:

• Create templates from agreements
• Manage library templates

• Web Forms:

• Create and manage web forms
• Enable/disable web forms
• Get form URLs

• Reports:

• Generate various reports (agreement reports, transaction reports, etc.)
• Schedule report exports

• Account Settings:

• Manage global account settings
• Customize branding elements
• Set security preferences
• Configure email settings

• Webhooks:

• Set up webhooks for real-time event notifications

• Digital Signatures:

• Enable cloud-based digital signatures
• Configure digital signature settings

• Electronic Seals:

• Add and manage electronic seals

• Workflows:

• Create custom send workflows

The API allows you to programmatically interact with most of the core functionality available in the Adobe Sign web application, enabling you to integrate e-signature capabilities into your own systems and applications.