Atlassian Confluence's REST API: Authentication and Basic Usage

Encountering errors like "Current user not permitted to use Confluence" while calling the Confluence REST API can be frustrating, especially when everything seems to be configured correctly. In this blog post, we'll delve into the precise process of authenticating and accessing Confluence pages via the REST API, ensuring a smooth and error-free experience.

{"message":"Current user not permitted to use Confluence","statusCode":403}

Understanding the Error

The error message "Current user not permitted to use Confluence" typically indicates an authentication or permission issue. Despite configuring everything correctly, it's essential to ensure that the authentication process aligns with Confluence's security requirements.

Understanding Authentication

Confluence's REST API is protected by the same security measures as its web interface. This means that users must authenticate to access resources, and their permissions determine what they can view or modify. Anonymous access is possible, but restricted, while logged-in users must have appropriate permissions to perform certain actions.

Simple Authentication Example

The first step in using the Confluence REST API is to authenticate a user account with your Confluence site. Any authentication method supported by Confluence works with the REST API. Let's take a look at a simple example of basic authentication:

shell
curl -D- \
   -u <your_email@domain.com>:<your_user_api_token> \
 -X GET \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \

 https://<your-domain.atlassian.net>/wiki/rest/api/space

In this example, <your_email@domain.com> represents your Atlassian account email, and <your_user_api_token> is your API token. Replace <your-domain.atlassian.net> with your Confluence instance information before executing the command.

Using Postman

For those preferring a graphical interface, Postman is a popular tool for making API requests. It supports Confluence Cloud REST APIs, providing a user-friendly environment for testing and debugging.

Refer the below link of Confluence Cloud Rest API - https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/confluence/rest/v1/intro/#about

Constructing Basic Auth Headers

Alternatively, you can construct and send basic authentication headers manually. Here's how:

1. Generate an API Token for your Atlassian Account via Atlassian Account Management.
2. Build a string of the form your_email@domain.com:your_user_api_token.
3. Encode your authorization credentials to Base64.
4. On Linux/Unix/MacOS, you can use

5. echo -n your_email@domain.com:your_user_api_token | base64

6. For Windows, PowerShell offers a similar approach.

$Text = ‘your_email@domain.com:your_user_api_token’ $Bytes = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes($Text) $EncodedText = [Convert]::ToBase64String($Bytes) $EncodedText 

 Supply an Authorization header with content Basic followed by the encoded string. Example: Authorization: Basic eW91cl9lbWFpbEBkb21haW4uY29tOnlvdG9rZW4=

curl -D- \ -X GET \ -H "Authorization: Basic <your_encoded_string>" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ "https://<your-officedomain.atlassian.net>/wiki/rest/api/space"

 The above cURL command will not work as shown. You need to replace <your_encoded_string> and <your-officedomain.atlassian.net> with your authorization credentials encoded string and instance information before running it in the terminal.

Practical Examples

Let's illustrate the authentication process with practical examples using command-line tools like cURL:

shell
# Construct authentication headers

encoded_credentials=$(echo -n "your_email@domain.com:your_api_token" | base64)
# Make a GET request to Confluence REST API

curl -X GET \

-H "Authorization: Basic $encoded_credentials" \

-H "Content-Type: application/json" \

"https://your-domain.atlassian.net/wiki/rest/api/content"

In this example, replace "your_email@domain.com" with your Atlassian account email and "your_api_token" with your generated API token. Similarly, adjust "your-domain.atlassian.net" to match your Confluence instance.

Final Thoughts

By following these authentication procedures, developers can securely interact with Confluence's REST API, unlocking the potential to automate tasks, integrate workflows, and extract valuable data. Whether using command-line tools like cURL or leveraging graphical interfaces like Postman, Confluence's REST API offers flexibility and power to enhance collaboration and productivity within organizations.