Rexster Mime Types

Mime types are used in the REST API to let consumers choose the format of the data they wish to receive. The format is selected by adding one or more of the following types to the Accept header on each request.

• application/json
• application/vnd.rexster+json
• application/vnd.rexster-typed+json

If the Accept header is not specified, Rexster will return application/json in its response. Both application/vnd.rexster+json and application/vnd.rexster-typed+json are considered custom types and can be generally applied to all requests with the exception of Extension requests, as they are capable of exposing their own specific content types.

While all three types are JSON formats, application/vnd.rexster+json and application/vnd.rexster-typed+json provide additional information in their responses which may be important to consumers. The application/vnd.rexster+json type contains link information regarding configured and available extensions, specifically for the graph, vertex, and edge resource and the application/vnd.rexster-typed+json type is the same but also includes property data type information embedded within the returned JSON.

Examples

This first request does not specify the Accept header and therefore Rexster simply returns application/json.

curl -v http://localhost:8182/graphs/tinkergraph/edges/11

{
    "version": "0.7-SNAPSHOT",
    "results": {
        "weight": 0.4000000059604645,
        "_id": "11",
        "_type": "edge",
        "_outV": "4",
        "_inV": "3",
        "_label": "created"
    },
    "queryTime": 1.225442
}

The following request to the same resource uses application/vnd.rexster+json and Rexster therefore responds with the same result as above, but includes the list of configured extensions.

curl -v -H "Accept:application/vnd.rexster+json" http://localhost:8182/graphs/tinkergraph/edges/11

{
    "version": "0.7-SNAPSHOT",
    "results": {
        "weight": 0.4000000059604645,
        "_id": "11",
        "_type": "edge",
        "_outV": "4",
        "_inV": "3",
        "_label": "created"
    },
    "queryTime": 1.355568,
    "extensions": [
        {
            "title": "evaluate an ad-hoc Gremlin script for an edge.",
            "method": "GET",
            "href": "tp/gremlin"
        },
        {
            "title": "evaluate an ad-hoc Gremlin script for an edge.",
            "method": "POST",
            "href": "tp/gremlin"
        }
    ]
}

This final request in the example set uses application/vnd.rexster-typed+json and Rexster therefore responds with the same result as above, but includes embedded data types within the JSON itself.

curl -v -H "Accept:application/vnd.rexster.typed+json" http://localhost:8182/graphs/tinkergraph/edges/11

{
    "version": "0.7-SNAPSHOT",
    "results": {
        "weight": {
            "type": "float",
            "value": 0.4000000059604645
        },
        "_id": "11",
        "_type": "edge",
        "_outV": "4",
        "_inV": "3",
        "_label": "created"
    },
    "queryTime": 1.25632,
    "extensions": [
        {
            "title": "evaluate an ad-hoc Gremlin script for an edge.",
            "method": "GET",
            "href": "tp/gremlin"
        },
        {
            "title": "evaluate an ad-hoc Gremlin script for an edge.",
            "method": "POST",
            "href": "tp/gremlin"
        }
    ]
}