Does Swapcard have an open API? Yes. Swapcard provides public APIs and real-time webhooks that your developers or integration partners can use to connect your events to the rest of your tools. All the technical documentation is available on the Swapcard Developer Hub at swapcard.dev.
Swapcard already offers many pre-built connectors in Studio to import data from registration and ticketing tools, exhibitor and session management platforms, and more, without writing code. See Integrations: Importing Third-party data using pre-built API Connectors. The API is useful when the connector you need isn't available yet, or when you want to build a custom integration, for example with your in-house data warehouse.
This article explains what the Developer Hub offers, what you can build with it, and how to get started, beginning with generating your API key.
What is the Swapcard Developer Hub?
The Developer Hub is the reference site for anyone building on Swapcard. It gathers everything a technical team needs in one place: authentication guides, API references with ready-to-use examples, an interactive Explorer to test queries, changelogs, rate limits, a deprecation policy, FAQs, and an introduction to GraphQL.
The documentation is organized in two areas:
Organizer: the Content API, the Analytics API, and webhooks, used with an API key generated in Studio.
Exhibitor: the Leads API, used with an API key that exhibitors generate in the Exhibitor Center.
Which tools are available?
Content API: a GraphQL API to query and manage your event data (events, groups, people, sessions, exhibitors, items, documents, custom fields, meetings, and more). Access: API key generated in Studio.
Analytics API: exports the raw activity data of your events as a stream of JSON lines, one per participant action (people searches, exhibitor page views, document opens, session stream starts…). Access: API key generated in Studio.
Webhooks: send an HTTP POST notification to your server as soon as people, exhibitors, sessions, session attendees, or meetings change in Swapcard. Access: set up in Studio or through the Content API.
Leads API: a GraphQL API that lets exhibitors retrieve their leads and scan badges from their own tools. Access: API key generated by exhibitors in the Exhibitor Center.
What can you build with the Swapcard API?
Here are some of the most common integrations built by organizers and their partners:
Sync registrations from a tool without a pre-built connector: create and update attendee and speaker profiles from your own ticketing system or CRM, assign them to the right groups, and attach their badge barcodes so that Lead Capture, session scanning, and check-in work on site.
Manage your agenda from another tool: create, update, or delete sessions in bulk, whatever their format (in-person, live stream, pre-recorded, on-demand, or roundtable), and link speakers and exhibitors to them.
Import exhibitors and their content: create and update exhibitor profiles with their logo, description, categories, booths, members, documents, and products.
Keep your CRM and marketing tools up to date in real time: use webhooks to be notified as soon as a profile is created or updated, a participant registers for a session, or a meeting is booked, then trigger your own workflows.
Feed your data warehouse and BI tools: export raw analytics data with the Analytics API and combine it with your registration, sales, or marketing data in your in-house data warehouse.
Help exhibitors prove their ROI: with the Leads API, exhibitors can send their leads, including ratings, notes, and qualification answers, to their own CRM, or build their own badge scanning app.
How to get started with the Swapcard API
Step 1: Generate an API key in Studio
In Studio, open the menu in the top-right corner under your name and click API keys, or go directly to studio.swapcard.com/api-keys.
Click Create a new key, give it a recognizable name (for example, the provider name and the event name), then click Generate the key.
Copy the key immediately and store it in a secure place. Once you leave the page, you can no longer see it. If you lose it, create a new one.
API keys are event-specific: if you connect several events, use the key generated for each event. You also need an API key to connect some no-code tools, such as Zapier.
Important: Your API key gives access to your private Swapcard data. Treat it like a password: share it only with the people who need it, never embed it in a web page or in client-side code, and make sure the Studio user who creates it has the appropriate role and rights.
Step 2: Explore the documentation and test your first queries
Share swapcard.dev with your developers or integration partner.
Start with the Authentication page, then read About the GraphQL Content API to understand the main concepts.
Open the Explorer to browse the schema and test queries directly from your browser.
Use the Examples pages to reuse ready-made queries and mutations for each object (events, people, sessions, exhibitors, and more).
Note: The Explorer works with your real, live production data. We recommend testing mutations (create, update, or delete) on a test event rather than on a live event.
Each API has a single endpoint, and every request must include an API key in the Authorization header:
Content API:
https://developer.swapcard.com/event-admin/graphqlAnalytics API:
https://developer.swapcard.com/event-admin/export/analyticsLeads API:
https://developer.swapcard.com/exhibitor/graphql
Good to know: New to GraphQL? The GraphQL Learning guide on the Developer Hub covers the basics. With GraphQL, you request exactly the fields you need in a single call, and libraries are available for most programming languages.
Step 3 (optional): Get real-time updates with webhooks
In Studio, go to Integrations > Webhooks and click Create a webhook.
Enter a name, select the events you want to subscribe to, paste your endpoint URL, and add a secret (optional, but recommended).
Click Create.
From then on, Swapcard sends an HTTP POST request with a JSON payload to your endpoint each time a subscribed event occurs. Your developers can check the X-Signature-256 header, an HMAC SHA-256 signature of the request body computed with your secret, to make sure each notification comes from Swapcard. Webhook subscriptions can also be created, updated, and deleted with the Content API.
For more details, see Using Swapcard Webhooks.
Step 4 (optional): Let exhibitors connect their own tools with the Leads API
Exhibitors can use the Leads API to send the leads they collect at your event to their CRM, or to build their own lead scanning app. They generate their own API key from the Exhibitor Center:
Select the exhibition booth.
Go to Leads > API keys.
Generate the API key and share it securely with their technical team.
Good to know: Whether exhibitors can export their leads or sync them with their CRM depends on the lead permissions you grant them in Studio. See Empower exhibitors to manage their profiles and leads.
Prefer a no-code integration?
If you don't have developers available, you can still connect Swapcard to your tools:
Pre-built connectors: import and sync data from supported third-party platforms directly from Studio. See Integrations: Importing Third-party data using pre-built API Connectors.
Zapier: automate data imports and exports between Swapcard and your other apps without writing code. See How to import/export your Swapcard data with Zapier.
Need a new connector? Swapcard has a dedicated Integrations Engineering Squad that maintains and improves the existing connectors and builds new ones. If you need Swapcard to build an integration that isn't supported yet, reach out to your account manager or our Support team.
Important notes and limitations
Rate limits: the Content API uses a cost-based limit of 60,000 points per minute by default. A single query cannot exceed 10,000 points or 20 levels of nested objects, and the request body is limited to 1 MB. The
X-RateLimit-*response headers show your current usage. If your integration needs higher limits, contact Swapcard Support with details about your queries and use case.Pagination: retrieve large lists with cursor-based pagination, ideally 100 records per page (200 maximum).
Analytics data delay: data returned by the Analytics API is available with a 10-minute delay.
Webhook limits: each event can have up to 20 webhook subscriptions. Failed deliveries are retried, and webhooks that keep failing are automatically disabled.
API changes: the Content API and Analytics API are backward compatible by default. A field, query, or mutation is only removed after a 12-month deprecation period, announced in the changelog and by email. A shorter period (30 days minimum) can apply for security or legal reasons.
Platform status: check swapcardstatus.com for the real-time status of Swapcard services.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Swapcard API a REST or a GraphQL API?
The Content API and the Leads API are GraphQL APIs, each with a single endpoint. The Analytics API is an HTTP POST endpoint that returns a stream of JSON lines, and webhooks send HTTP POST requests with a JSON body to your server. Your developers can work with any programming language.
Do I need a developer to use the API?
Yes. The APIs and webhooks require development work from your technical team or an integration partner. If you don't have one, pre-built connectors and Zapier cover many common needs without code.
Where can I see what has changed in the API?
The Content API, Analytics API, and Leads API each have a changelog on the Developer Hub. Deprecated fields are also flagged directly in the GraphQL schema with the @deprecated directive.
Who can I contact if I have questions about the API?
Use the Submit a request button on the Developer Hub, or contact Swapcard Support from the Help Center. Include details about your use case and the queries you are running.
Swapcard's pre-built connectors cover the most common integrations, and the open API lets you go further: connect your events to any tool your teams use, automate repetitive tasks, and feed your own data warehouse. Share the Swapcard Developer Hub with your technical team or integration partner to start building.