Developer Platform API

Complete API reference for all Decentraland backend services

Welcome to the Decentraland API Reference. This section provides comprehensive documentation for all backend services that power Decentraland.

Overview

Decentraland's backend infrastructure consists of distributed services organized into four main categories:

• Decentralized Layer - Content delivery and decentralized infrastructure

• Real-Time Communications Layer - Service discovery, clustering, and communications

• Feature Services - User-facing features, content, and gamification

• Core Services - Authentication, marketplace, assets, and notifications

All APIs documented here follow OpenAPI specifications and support RESTful conventions unless otherwise noted.

Service Categories

Decentralized Layer

The foundational decentralized infrastructure for content delivery:

Service	Purpose	Key Features
Catalyst	Content delivery	Decentralized content servers, entity deployment, and filesystem access
Lamb2	Lambda utilities	Serverless functions for content consumption and utility endpoints

Real-Time Communications Layer

Service discovery and real-time peer-to-peer communications:

Service	Purpose	Key Features
Realm Provider	Service discovery	Find available Catalyst servers and communication endpoints
Comms Gatekeeper	Access control	Time-limited tokens for LiveKit media server access
Archipelago Workers	Communications clustering	WebSocket connections, island formation, and message routing via NATS

Feature Services

User-facing features including content, economy, and gamification:

Service	Purpose	Key Features
Credits Server	Virtual credits	Decentraland's virtual currency system
Badges	Achievements	User achievement and badge system
Rewards API	NFT rewards	Campaign-based NFT reward distribution
Exploration Games	Onboarding	Interactive tutorials and quests
Camera Reel	Screenshots	User-generated screenshot management
Atlas Server	Map data	Parcel information and world map tiles
Places	Points of interest	Curated locations and featured experiences
Events	Event management	Create, schedule, and discover in-world events
Worlds	Isolated scenes	Personal worlds and custom domains

Core Services

Essential infrastructure for authentication, marketplace, assets, and notifications:

Service	Purpose	Key Features
Auth Server	Authentication	Wallet-based authentication and session management
Marketplace Server	NFT marketplace	Wearables and emotes marketplace integration
Asset Bundle Registry	Asset optimization	Unity asset bundles for optimized loading
Events Notifier	Event alerts	Notifications for upcoming events
Notifications Workers	User notifications	Real-time and push notifications
Social Service	Friends & communities	Friendship management and private messaging

Getting Started

Authentication

Most APIs require authentication using Decentraland's wallet-based system:

1. Connect wallet - Users sign authentication challenges with their Ethereum wallet

2. Get tokens - Auth Server validates signatures and issues JWT tokens

3. Include tokens - Add tokens to API requests via Authorization header

See the Auth Server API for detailed authentication flows.

Base URLs

APIs are deployed across the Decentraland network:

• Production: https://peer.decentraland.org (main Catalyst)

• Development: Various test environments

• Custom: Self-hosted Catalyst nodes

Most services are accessible through Catalyst nodes. Use the Realm Provider to discover available endpoints.

Rate Limiting

APIs implement rate limiting to ensure fair usage:

• Default limits vary by service and endpoint

• Authenticated requests typically have higher limits

• Rate limit headers included in responses

• Contact maintainers for increased limits if needed

API Conventions

All APIs follow these conventions:

• HTTP Methods - Standard REST verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

• Status Codes - Standard HTTP status codes

• Content Type - application/json unless otherwise specified

• Error Format - Consistent error response structure

• Versioning - Version info in URL path or headers

Architecture Context

These APIs are part of a larger distributed system. For architectural context:

• Architecture Overview - Complete system architecture

• Backend Services - Detailed service descriptions

• Client Architecture - How clients interact with services

Contributing

These API specifications are maintained in their respective repositories:

• Report issues via GitHub repositories

• Propose changes through pull requests

• Join technical discussions in the Decentraland Discord

• Attend monthly AMA sessions

Additional Resources

• Catalyst API Specs - Complete OpenAPI specifications

• Catalyst Monitor - Network health and status

• Status Page - Service status and incident history

• GitHub Organization - Source code repositories

OpenAPI Documentation

Each API includes:

• Interactive documentation - Try endpoints directly from the docs

• Request/response examples - Sample payloads for all operations

• Schema definitions - Complete data model documentation

• Authentication requirements - Required credentials for each endpoint

Navigate to specific APIs using the sidebar to explore detailed endpoint documentation.