Import Dashboard Using Controller API and Postman Tool

[Allister.Green]

I am trying to export and import a dashboard using the Controller API, and using the Postman tool.

Ref export, I have this working OK:

• I created an API Client with the administrator role
• I used the Controller API with the API Client credentials to generate a Bearer Token,

https://{{controller_uri}}//controller/api/oauth/access_token

• I successfully exported a dashboard

https://{{controller_uri}}/controller/CustomDashboardImportExportServlet?dashboardId=12355

Headers:

Authorization:Bearer {{bearer_token}}

Now when I try to import a dashboard using the API, with:

• A new dashboard name that currently doesn’t exist,
• Using basic authentication (my user account which also has admin access) because the import API does not support the use of the Bearer Token (open enhancement exists: Internal story ID https://jira.corp.appdynamics.com/browse/METADATA-9305).

.. I simply get a 500 response.

What I tried is:

Method: POST

URI: https://{{controller_uri}}/controller/CustomDashboardImportExportServlet

BODY: The json of the previously exported dashboard

Content-Type: application/json

As per the documentation, I also tried using CURL and it worked:

https://docs.appdynamics.com/4.5.x/en/extend-appdynamics/appdynamics-apis/configuration-import-and-e...

curl -X POST --user Allister.Green@RSAGroup:<pw> https://<domain uri>/controller/CustomDashboardImportExportServlet -F file=@dashboard.json

Because the curl example uses a file, I also tried using a file with Postman instead of using the dashboard json as the message body, but this also generated a 500 response.

To use a file:

Body: form-data

KEY: file, VALUE: <filename>, CONTENT TYPE application/json

Has anyone got dashboard imports working using Postman, and if so, please can you share how.

Thanks,

Allister.

[Ryan.Paredez]

Hi @Allister.Green,

I see you ended up creating a Support ticket. Can you please share your results as a reply to this post. 

Knowledge sharing is key to this community.

[Allister.Green · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the prompt Ryan.

I wasn't able to get the dashboard import working using Postman.

But... I was able to get it to work using Fiddler.

Method: POST

URI: https://<controller domain>/controller/CustomDashboardImportExportServlet

Header: Authorization: Basic QWxsaXN0ZXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Body:

Click on “upload file” and select the json file containing the dashboard. Note it is not possible to use JSON directly as the message body.

To generate the Authorization header:

Create string: <user name>@<tenant>:<user password>

Then base 64 encode this using your tool of choice.

e.g. if using Notepad++

select the text

Plugins -> MIME Toools -> Base64 Encode

Then the header is simply:

Authorization: Basic <base64 encoded string>