API - make the local environment available by default

[yeahthegoys]

Firstly - there's no API docs so forgive me if anything I put here is misinformed.

I love this project and I feel it will replace the dreaded portainer for me.

However, it doesn't have the ability to use the API to modify the local environment that I can tell (i.e. the environment the non-headless container accesses through the socket binding). You can currently manage remote environments through the api via /api/environments/uuid/dostuffhere but not the local environment itself.

I've resorted to running the main container and an additional agent container on the same machine. I don't use the agent when I'm in the UI because I have the main container, its only for modifying the "local" environment over the API.

I don't feel I should have to do this...

I feel like you can keep the remote environments on their UUID but perhaps make the local environment available on /api/environments/local or something.

Of course, you then need some machine-to-machine auth like a known API key... this is fine for the remote envs of course, since you can use the agent bootstrap token, but the local environment never needed such a token... so you would need to implement generating API keys for users or even an app-wide admin key...

Give it some thought, thats all I ask.

[yeahthegoys]

Oh and also the ability to rename the local environment to something other than "Local Docker"

[kmendell]

The local environment is ID 0 , there's technically no API support yet, but eventually I can maybe add it.

I guess I'm curious why you want to use the API to change stuff vs just use the UI ? Maybe I'm confused.

And you can now rename the local one in 1.9.0.

[yeahthegoys]

Appreciate the info on the local environment ID - although I can't seem to get this to work on my end? the /api/environments endpoint doesn't return it, nor can I view it at /api/environments/0

This works fine:

This does not:

Why do I want to use the API? Automations of course! In my current portainer-based setup I use n8n to automate a variety of common management actions through the portainer API. Yes, of course I will be using the UI manually for many things, but the API is a must-have for custom automation aspects.

e.g.

[kmendell]

It should show up on 1.9.0 , it wasn't in the database until now. Okay yeah, I see your interest in it.

You'll have to look at the codebase (for now) for the api endpoints, but even if your on a version older than 1.9.0 you can use ID 0, IE: /api/environments/0/projects/{projectid}/up

[kmendell]

API keys should be semi-simple I'll try to work on it as soon as I have time

[yeahthegoys]

Yep - working fine in 1.9.0, thanks!

Until there's an API key option I may struggle to interrogate the API in a server-to-server fashion since I need to tell arcane I'm authorized somehow... my browser does that through a cookie with a token by the looks of it... yes, API key would be good.

No rush, thankyou for your efforts!

[kmendell]

I finally got aorund to the API stuff, its merged into the main branch now, and available via the next image. Otherwise will be available in 1.11.0