Eventbrite API Essential Guide

What type of API does Eventbrite provide?

Eventbrite uses a REST API.

REST (Representational State Transfer) is one of the most common API architectures used by web services today.

REST APIs are designed to be simple, scalable, and flexible. They are often used in web and mobile applications, as well as in Internet of Things (IoT) and microservices architectures.

Some key characteristics of REST APIs include:

• Stateless: Each request contains all necessary information to process it
• Resource-based: Resources are identified by unique URIs
• Uses standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
• Responses are typically in JSON or XML format

REST APIs are well-suited for building web and mobile applications, which aligns with Eventbrite's use case as an event management and ticketing platform.

Does the Eventbrite API have webhooks?

Webhooks Availability

Yes, the official Eventbrite API offers webhooks.

Types of Events Available for Subscription

While specific details on the types of events available for webhook subscriptions are not provided, common webhook events for ticketing platforms often include:

• Order created
• Order updated
• Attendee created
• Attendee updated
• Event created
• Event updated

For the most up-to-date and accurate list of available webhook events, consult Eventbrite's official API documentation.

Additional Context

Recent changes to Eventbrite's checkout process have caused issues for some users integrating with the platform:

• A new checkout experience asks some required questions after payment, leading to incomplete data being sent through integrations.
• This change has caused problems for many users relying on Zapier integrations and other automated processes.
• Eventbrite has been working on allowing users to opt out of this new checkout experience due to feedback.
• Some users have reported success in getting Eventbrite to revert their events back to the original checkout process.

Best Practices

When working with Eventbrite's API and webhooks:

1. Always refer to the most recent official documentation for the most accurate information.
2. Be aware of any platform changes that might affect your integrations.
3. If you encounter issues, reach out to Eventbrite support for assistance or potential opt-outs from new features that may be causing problems.
4. Consider implementing error handling and data validation in your integrations to account for potential changes or inconsistencies in the data you receive.

Remember that while webhooks can provide real-time updates, it's also important to have fallback mechanisms in place, such as periodic API polling, to ensure you don't miss any critical data.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Here are the key points about the API rate limits for the Eventbrite API:

Default Rate Limits

• By default, Eventbrite enforces a rate limit of 1000 calls per hour on each OAuth token.

• There is also a daily limit of 48,000 calls per day.

Restrictions

• These rate limits are subject to change at Eventbrite's discretion.

• Using methods to subvert or bypass the rate limits is a violation of the API Terms of Use.

Requesting Limit Increases

• It may be possible to request an increase to the rate limits in some circumstances, though this is not guaranteed.

• One user asked about increasing limits to update event information more frequently, but there was no clear response about whether this was possible.

Key Considerations

• The rate limits apply per OAuth token, so using multiple tokens could potentially allow for more requests.

• Eventbrite reserves the right to change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the APIs at any time.

• Developers should design their applications to work within the default rate limits unless explicitly granted higher limits.

Best Practices

• Implement efficient caching and only request data that has changed.
• Spread out API calls over time rather than making bursts of requests.
• Monitor your usage to ensure you stay within the limits.

In summary, while the default limits are clearly defined, Eventbrite does not seem to publicly offer a standard process for requesting limit increases. Developers should plan to work within the default limits unless they have explicit permission otherwise.

Latest API Version

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

Current API Version

The current version of the Eventbrite API is v3. This has not changed since at least 2015, as indicated by the versioning information for the Python SDK.

Recent Changes

1. In December 2019, Eventbrite announced they were removing public access to the Event Search API (GET /v3/events/search/).

2. After February 20, 2020, all requests to the Event Search API were to be denied.

Alternative Endpoints

Instead of the deprecated search endpoint, Eventbrite recommended using the following APIs to retrieve events:

• Retrieve an Event by ID: GET /v3/events/:event_id/
• List Events by Venue: GET /v3/venues/:venue_id/events/
• List Events by Organization: GET /v3/organizations/:organization_id/events/

Current Status

As of now (August 2024), there is no public API endpoint for searching events across the entire Eventbrite platform. The search functionality seen on the Eventbrite website is likely an internal feature not available through the public API.

Key Considerations

1. The removal of the public search API was likely a business decision to prevent competition from easily accessing Eventbrite's entire event database.

2. For developers who need to display Eventbrite events, the recommended approach is to use the organization-specific or venue-specific endpoints to retrieve events.

3. Eventbrite also offers iframe-based widgets for embedding events into websites, which could be an alternative for some use cases.

It's important to note that while the API version remains v3, significant changes have been made to the available endpoints and functionality since 2019. Developers should refer to the most recent Eventbrite API documentation for the most up-to-date information on available endpoints and best practices.

How to get a Eventbrite developer account and API Keys?

Here are the key steps to get a developer account for Eventbrite and create an API integration:

1. Create an Eventbrite account if you don't already have one.

2. Go to your Account Settings in Eventbrite.

3. Under Developer Links, go to "API Keys".

4. Request a new API key by providing the following information:

   • Name (first and last name of contact)
   • OAuth Redirect URI (where users will be redirected after authenticating)
   • Description of your application
   • Company Name (optional)

5. Choose "Create Key" to generate your API key.

6. You'll receive an email when your API application key is approved.

7. Once approved, you can find your client ID (API key) and client secret on the account page.

8. Make sure to set https://int.bearer.sh/v2/auth/callback as the OAuth redirect URI in your Eventbrite app settings.

9. You can then use the API key to authenticate and make calls to the Eventbrite API.

Key points to consider:

• You need permission to "Create webhooks" in your Eventbrite organization to access the API Keys section.
• The Eventbrite API uses OAuth 2.0 for authorization.
• Consult the Eventbrite API developer documentation for details on endpoints and implementation.

What can you do with the Eventbrite API?

Based on the search results provided, here is a list of data models that can be interacted with using the Eventbrite API, along with what is possible for each:

Events

• Retrieve all events planned by an organization
• Retrieve events by specific IDs
• Filter events by time (current, future, past, all)
• Filter events by status (live, draft, started, ended, completed, canceled)
• Include or exclude unlisted events
• Sort events by date
• Retrieve a single event by its ID
• Access event details like description, venue, and ticket information

Venues

• Retrieve all venues belonging to an organization
• Retrieve a single venue by its ID
• Get events held at a specific venue

Organizations

• Access organization-level data (specific details not provided in the search results)

Expansions

• Include additional related data models when querying events or venues
• Available expansions may include ticket classes, attendees, or other related information (specific details not provided in the search results)

Key Points:

• The API allows for filtering and sorting of events based on various criteria
• Data can be enriched with additional information through expansions
• The API supports both organization-wide queries and specific event/venue lookups
• Caching is recommended to reduce API calls and improve performance

It's important to note that the search results do not provide an exhaustive list of all data models available through the Eventbrite API. For a complete and up-to-date list of data models and their capabilities, it would be best to consult the official Eventbrite API documentation.