Using Slack APIs

Every Slack app and workflow automation has access to a range of APIs that provide access to read, write, and update many types of data in Slack.

Read on to learn about our core APIs, and discover how to use them to make magic.


Web API

The Web API supplies a collection of HTTP methods that underpin the majority of Slack app functionality.

With over 100 methods available, it's impossible to explain everything that's possible with the Web API, but we're sure there's one right for your app.

Our Web API guide explains the basic process of interacting with these methods. Once you've read up on that, dive into the list of available methods.


Events API

The Events API is a streamlined way to build apps that respond to activities in Slack.

Subscribe to the events you want from a range of possibilities. Build a Slack app that can react to those events usefully.

Tell us where to send the events you carefully select and we'll push them to your app securely. We'll even retry when things don't work out.

Read our Events API guide to learn how to subscribe to and handle events.

Check out our Event delivery guide to explore your options with how to receive event payloads: via a public HTTP URL or using the magic of WebSocket via Socket Mode.

If you don't wish to expose a public, static HTTP endpoint to communicate with Slack, Socket Mode can help.


Other APIs

Beyond the Web and Events APIs, we have a range of other niche APIs that are suitable for specific types of apps.

  • Admin APIs are a subset of Web APIs that are geared towards automating and simplifying the administration of Slack organizations.
  • SCIM APIs are available for user provisioning and management.
  • Audit Logs APIs are tailored for building security information and event management tools.
  • The Status API provides a programmatic way to monitor the health of the Slack product.
  • RTM is an outmoded API that provides WebSocket access to some of the same functionality as the Web and Events APIs. We list it here for completeness even though it has been deprecated.