Application Programming Interface (API)

REST API

Communication with the TCI core system (described in the Core System section) is implemented using the Flask framework and a REST API, which enables interaction with the system through simple HTTP requests.

  • Authentication is based on JSON Web Tokens (JWT), ensuring that all actions are performed by an authenticated user.
  • CSRF protection is implemented using the Flask‑WTF module.
  • The main API is available under /api/v1/<...>, allowing parallel development of future API versions while maintaining backward compatibility.

All API requests are validated in terms of format, content, and user permissions before processing. Each endpoint has a predefined JSON request/response structure. Detailed endpoint specifications and return codes are provided in the Developer Documentation.

PyTCI Library

In many cases, it is useful to interact with TCI programmatically. For example, an automated capture can be triggered when a security threat or anomaly is detected, avoiding the delay of manual operation.

The PyTCI library provides a Python interface for managing and processing capture jobs (according to user permissions). Its architecture is designed for future extensibility, supporting all actions available via the web interface.

Installation

PyTCI is part of the TCI package and can be installed using standard Python methods, e.g.:

pip install pytci

Example:

# Import the library
from pytci import PyTCI

# Create an instance and set the access token
tci = PyTCI("localhost", 8080)
tci.set_access_token("<token generated via web interface>")

# Retrieve the list of existing jobs and print their names
existing_jobs = tci.get_jobs()
for job in existing_jobs:
    print(job.name)

# Create a new capture job
new_job = tci.create_job(
    name="My new job!",
    duration=10,
    max_capture_data=50_000,
    lines=["CaptureLine1"],
    filter='',
    script_name=None,
    script_args=None
)

# Get information about the created job and print its status
new_job_info = tci.get_job_status(new_job.id)
print(new_job_info.status)