- What is the AOL Developer Network?
- Where can I find working implementations of your APIs?
- Where can I find all the APIs you have?
- How can I give you feedback?
- How can I communicate directly with other developers on their experiences in using the APIs? How do I share my modified APIs with other developers?
- Do you have a description and release schedule of other APIs now in the pipeline?
- How do I report abuse of the site or bad behavior?
- What is my developer account?
- Why do some APIs require additional information and registration? What's that about?
- Do I have to pay any fee to use the APIs in my application? Are they really free even if I make money from my application?
- Can I use the APIs in a commercial application? Do I have to share any profit with you?
- How do I know what I subscribe to and manage my account?
- If I am registered, am I automatically notified each time you publish a new API or update the code version of one I am already using?
- What is a Developer ID (devId)?
- Where do I get a Developer ID (devId)?
- What do I need to do to get a devId?
- Are there any Usage Caps or other Limitations on how I use the devId?
- Is there an example of what I can do with my devId?
- What if I have questions or need help to get my devId?
- Help! How do I get support? Do you have a developer help desk so I can talk to someone directly?
- Where do I report bugs?
- Do you have a way for me to submit a wish list for future development?
- What programming flavors does AOL support?
- Is there technical documentation on the APIs?
- What about training?
- Does AOL provide developer assistance to help me build my application? Are there special fees associated with that?
- If I use your APIs can AOL help me promote my application? Do I have special access to AOL's members?
General
What is the AOL Developer Network?
The AOL Developer Network is the community of developers actively engaged in building Web 2.0 applications with AOL's open APIs. Being a participating network member is your best way to access all the latest AOL open APIs. It also lets you tap into the buzz on cutting-edge programming concepts, cool application features, and vanguard approaches to web development and problem-solving.
Where can I find working implementations of your APIs?
Check out the featured developers and gallery sections. Most of the API pages, as well, showcase successful applications in galleries. We also encourage you to browse and explore. If there is something you'd like to see but can't find, please contact us with your idea and we'll try to provide it in a future release.
Where can I find all the APIs you have?
All of the currently available APIs, along with a brief description are available on the APIs page. You can follow the links for their detailed descriptions and technical information.
How can I give you feedback?
Click Contact Us and send us an email with your feedback. Also, we've built an entire Community page where you can post your feedback on blogs, message boards and wikis.
How can I communicate directly with other developers on their experiences in using the APIs? How do I share my modified APIs with other developers?
To maximize your options to communicate directly with other developers, we've built an entire Community page where you can access blogs and forums. Many of the APIs also sponsor additional ways for you to send feedback to other developers who use those APIs.
Do you have a description and release schedule of other APIs now in the pipeline?
Not at the moment, but we plan on offering something soon.
How do I report abuse of the site or bad bahavior?
You can send an email us using the contact form and someone will resolve the issue.
My Account
What is my developer account?
Creating a new account for the AOL developer network is easy and free. To register all you need to do is give us some basic information about yourself and follow the prompts after you click the Sign Up button on the home page. Once you complete the sign up registration you will have a developer ID which lets you post to forums and blogs and also lets you subscribe to RSS feeds. But please note that if you want to use the currently available APIs they may require additional information and have added specific Developer Agreement/TOS which is described when you arrive at their page. Just follow those local rules of the road (if any) when you get to the APIs of your choosing.
Why do some APIs require additional information and registration? What's that about?
Different APIs provide very different types of things so it’s only natural that the terms for some specific usages need to be spelled out in advance. When you navigate to an area with the specific APIs you want to use, just follow the local rules of the road. As you go through the process, prompts guide you and the specifics you need are clearly spelled out.
Do I have to pay any fee to use the APIs in my application? Are they really free even if I make money from my application?
Yes, they are really free!! We want you to dream up cool uses for the APIs and to be successful. Any limitations on use are laid out in advance in the Developer Agreement/TOS. Beyond that if you have any questions or special needs, we’re always happy to talk about arrangements, so we encourage you to contact us.
Can I use the APIs in a commercial application? Do I have to share any profit with you?
Please review the API Terms of Service for details on usage.
How do I know what I subscribe to and manage my account?
Go to the My Account page and review your subscriptions. All of your developer feeds are also visible. You can change these at any time by changing the checked boxes and then clicking Save. Note that there's a separate Save button next to your basic account area.
If I am registered, am I automatically notified each time you publish a new API or update the code version of one I am already using?
The ability to subscribe to RSS feeds that notify you of new APIs or an update to an existing APIwill be available in a future release of the site. You can currently subscribe to get updates via email on blog posts, forum posts and current content on the site.
DevID
What is a Developer ID (devId)?
A Developer ID (devId) is a general permission for accessing AOL open services.
With your devId you can and use the APIs from your web site (namely, the specific web site you provide when you register for the devId. In accordance with the Terms of Service (TOS) , you can use the API to gain AOL open services on the specific site (URL) you registered. AOL 's OpenAuth API is the first to use devIds on dev.aol.com. In the future other APIs will use this approach. OpenAuth empowers third-party web sites and applications to authenticate AOL and AIM users through their Web Sites/Applications.
NOTE: When you navigate on dev.aol.com to other AOL APIs you may find additional Terms of Service (TOS) and information requests, depending on the nature of the API . Just follow the local rules of the road. Prompts guide you and all the specifics you need are clearly spelled out.
Where do I get a Developer ID (devId)?
You can obtain a Developer ID (devId) at http://dev.aol.com/keys . If you don't already have a user account on dev.aol.com, you just:
- Get your dev.aol.com User Account (you can get one for free by clicking Signup on the home page and getting a screen name and password)
- Get your devId at http://dev.aol.com/keys
If you already are registered on the site, obviously, you just go to http://dev.aol.com/keys .
What do I need to do to get a devId?
Getting your devId is easy and free. Anyone who is a registered user on dev.aol.com is eligible for a Developer ID. For a user account, if you do not have an AOL or AIM screen name, you will be prompted to get one (it's free and only takes a few seconds).
Once you have a user account on dev.aol.com, here's all you need to do to obtain your devId:
- Agree to the Terms of Service (TOS)
- Provide us with two bits of information about yourself (your name and email) and a couple of items about where/why you want to use the devId.(the destination URL , namely, the URL of the website where you want to use this devId and what you want to use it for).
AOL will issue you a Developer ID (devid) and/or confirm the application of your pre-existing Developer ID specifically for use on the specific site you registered.
- Get an ID for each site
- The URL must match so that Open Auth calls will work
- You can edit the ID to change the URL if required.
Are there any Usage Caps or other Limitations on how I use the devId?
Yes, there is a daily and monthly limit. See the Terms of Service (TOS) for details.
Is there an example of what I can do with my devId?
Once you obtain your devId for the OpenAuth API , you can build identity-based web sites and leverage AOL 's installed member base to boost your own. All you will have to do is:
- Use the OpenAuth login API on your site to allow a user to login with an AOL or AIM screen name and obtain an authentication token
- Write a few lines of code to validate the authentication token and retrieve the user's identity
What if I have questions or need help to get my devId?
Go to http://dev.aol.com/contact and give us a shout.
Technical Support
Help! How do I get support? Do you have a developer help desk so I can talk to someone directly?
Yes, we have support for our APIs. We suggest you first look for your answers on the web site, but if all else fails, and you're looking for dev2dev support, look in the API Support Forums. In addition, many of the specific API areas offer customized support on their pages.
Where do I report bugs?
Bug tracking is coming in the next release. If you need to report a bug, use the API Support Forums or check the APIs web site.
Do you have a way for me to submit a wish list for future development?
You have a variety of options. Send us an email from the Contact Us link, or post your idea in a forum if you'd like to enhance something that doesn't work right. Many of the specific API areas offer additional ways to provide input for those APIs. For instance we have the API Forums that are open for discussion of our APIs. The point is to share your ideas with the community and we'll pick it up and get back to you.
What programming flavors does AOL support?
Just go to the specific API you're interested in to find the documentation of which programming flavors are supported. If there is something you need but can't find today, please contact us with your idea and we'll try to provide it in a future release.
Is there technical documentation on the APIs?
Yes. On the API pages you'll find all the technical documentation to get you going -- from Getting Started guides to API reference documentation, sample code and white papers.
What about training?
Check out all the offerings under the Resources tab. There's also information on upcoming training opportunities on both the Community and News & Events pages. If there's something more specific you need, shoot us an email from the Contact Us link.
Does AOL provide developer assistance to help me build my application? Are there special fees associated with that?
We hope our documentation and sample code (when available) gives you everything you need to consume our APIs. If you run into problems, we are here to help you. If you have any questions on how to use the APIs, you can look at the API Support Forums or submit a question and there are no fees associated with this help.
If I use your APIs can AOL help me promote my application? Do I have special access to AOL's members?
We are always looking for cool reference applications to promote. You’ll find many areas on dev.aol.com which are designed to feature the best implementations. Beyond that we’re always happy to talk about customizing an arrangement for your needs, so contact us.