Roam Research Docs · Developer documentation

Developer Hub

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Our different APIs and which one you should use

• Use Roam Backend API
  • IF you need to do reads and edits (and not just additions/appends)
  • IF you do NOT need to support encrypted graphs (the backend API cannot work with encrypted graphs)
• Use [Append API](Roam Append API)
  • IF you need to support BOTH unencrypted & encrypted graphs
  • IF you want an easy-to-use API optimized for capture
  • IF you do not need read functionality
• Use Roam Alpha API (our client side API)
  • If you're building a Roam Depot extension or writing roam/js scripts for yourself

We highly recommend installing the local MCP, connecting it to this graph, and telling the AI to search here.

• Just tell it to connect to the graph "developer-documentation"

Data Model

• The DataScript attribute reference; what pages, blocks, users, and the other entities look like, plus querying tips.

Roam Alpha API

• Front-end API for read/write operations

Roam Backend API

• Access your Roam data over http! A read/write API for Roam data

Roam Depot/Extensions and Roam Depot/Extension API

• How to write and submit Roam Depot extensions

roam/css

• Style your graph with custom CSS

roam/js and roam/cljs

• Write and run JavaScript/Clojurescript in your graph

Roam Clojurescript API

• Front-end API for read/write operations, mostly a copy of Roam Alpha API for clojurescript with some additions for roam/render

roam/render

• Render custom inline components in your graph

If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out! Join our slack and head over to the #developers channel