Inventory Parameter

The Inventory Parameter API endpoints allow you to retrieve and manage parameter definitions that describe the configurable and monitorable attributes of devices in your inventory. These endpoints are essential for understanding what parameters are available for device configuration, monitoring, and data collection across your managed infrastructure.

Base URL: https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1

Authentication: All endpoints require a Bearer token:

Authorization: Bearer <your-api-token>

Overview

The Inventory Parameter API provides access to parameter definitions that serve as templates for device configuration and monitoring. These parameters define the structure and behavior of data fields that can be applied to devices in your inventory system.

Each inventory parameter includes essential metadata such as:

Parameter identification (name, variable name, short name)
Data type specification (string, integer, boolean, select, etc.)
Behavioral flags (required, read-only, metric tracking)
Group association for logical organization
Position ordering for consistent UI presentation

Key Concepts:

Parameter Types: Determine how data is displayed and validated (string, integer, boolean, select, etc.)
Metric Parameters: When enabled, the system stores historical data for trend analysis
Read-only Parameters: Used for storing data captured from devices, not for configuration
Parameter Groups: Logical collections that organize related parameters together
Discovery Groups: Special groups containing parameters automatically discovered by the system

Common Integration Scenarios:

Building dynamic configuration forms based on available parameters
Retrieving parameter definitions before creating device configurations
Understanding which parameters support historical tracking for monitoring dashboards
Filtering parameters by group to organize configuration workflows

Endpoints

GET /inventory_parameter/

Description: Retrieves a paginated list of all inventory parameter definitions. This endpoint is typically used to build dynamic configuration interfaces, understand available parameter types, or sync parameter definitions with external systems.

Use Cases:

Building dynamic device configuration forms in a web application
Synchronizing parameter definitions with external configuration management systems
Auditing available parameters across different device groups
Creating parameter selection interfaces for reporting tools

Full URL Example:

https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/?group=5&limit=50&offset=0

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	In	Required	Description
group	integer	query	No	Filter parameters by group ID to retrieve only parameters belonging to a specific parameter group
limit	integer	query	No	Number of results to return per page (default pagination applies if not specified)
offset	integer	query	No	The initial index from which to return results for pagination

cURL Example:

curl -X GET "https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/?group=5&limit=20&offset=0" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Example Response:

{
  "count": 45,
  "next": "https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/?group=5&limit=20&offset=20",
  "previous": null,
  "results": [
    {
      "id": 12,
      "name": "Device Hostname",
      "short_name": "hostname",
      "variable_name": "device_hostname",
      "type": "string",
      "position": 1,
      "required": true,
      "read_only": false,
      "metric": false,
      "group": {
        "id": 5,
        "name": "Network Configuration",
        "service": "network-mgmt",
        "discovery_group": false,
        "title": "Network Settings"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": 13,
      "name": "DHCP Enabled",
      "short_name": "dhcp-enabled",
      "variable_name": "dhcp_enabled",
      "type": "boolean",
      "position": 2,
      "required": false,
      "read_only": false,
      "metric": true,
      "group": {
        "id": 5,
        "name": "Network Configuration",
        "service": "network-mgmt",
        "discovery_group": false,
        "title": "Network Settings"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": 14,
      "name": "CPU Usage",
      "short_name": "cpu-usage",
      "variable_name": "cpu_usage_percent",
      "type": "decimal",
      "position": 3,
      "required": false,
      "read_only": true,
      "metric": true,
      "group": {
        "id": 5,
        "name": "Network Configuration",
        "service": "network-mgmt",
        "discovery_group": false,
        "title": "Network Settings"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Response Codes:

Status	Description
200	Success - Returns paginated list of inventory parameters
400	Bad Request - Invalid query parameters
401	Unauthorized - Invalid or missing authentication token
403	Forbidden - Insufficient permissions to access inventory parameters

GET /inventory_parameter/{id}/

Description: Retrieves detailed information about a specific inventory parameter by its ID. This endpoint provides complete parameter definition including all metadata, type information, and group associations needed for implementation.

Use Cases:

Retrieving detailed parameter specifications before creating device configurations
Validating parameter constraints and types during form validation
Understanding parameter relationships and group associations
Implementing parameter-specific UI components based on type and flags

Full URL Example:

https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/12/?group=5

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	In	Required	Description
id	integer	path	Yes	The unique identifier of the inventory parameter to retrieve
group	integer	query	No	Filter by group ID - useful for validation when working within specific parameter groups

cURL Example:

curl -X GET "https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/12/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Example Response:

{
  "id": 12,
  "name": "Device Hostname",
  "short_name": "hostname",
  "variable_name": "device_hostname",
  "type": "string",
  "position": 1,
  "required": true,
  "read_only": false,
  "metric": false,
  "group": {
    "id": 5,
    "name": "Network Configuration",
    "service": "network-mgmt",
    "discovery_group": false,
    "title": "Network Settings"
  }
}

Response Codes:

Status	Description
200	Success - Returns the requested inventory parameter details
401	Unauthorized - Invalid or missing authentication token
403	Forbidden - Insufficient permissions to access this parameter
404	Not Found - Parameter with specified ID does not exist

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Building Dynamic Configuration Forms

Retrieve all parameters for a specific group to dynamically generate device configuration forms with proper field types, validation rules, and required field indicators.

# Get all parameters for network configuration group
curl -X GET "https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/?group=5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Use Case 2: Parameter Validation Before Device Updates

Before updating device configurations, retrieve specific parameter details to validate data types, required fields, and read-only restrictions.

# Validate parameter constraints before configuration update
curl -X GET "https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/12/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Use Case 3: Monitoring Dashboard Setup

Identify parameters marked as metrics to build monitoring dashboards and historical trend analysis interfaces.

# Filter and identify metric parameters for dashboard creation
curl -X GET "https://control.zequenze.com/api/v1/inventory_parameter/?limit=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Use Case 4: Configuration Template Creation

Retrieve parameter definitions to create reusable configuration templates that can be applied across multiple devices of the same type.

Use Case 5: Discovery Parameter Management

Identify parameters in discovery groups that contain automatically detected device information, which can be promoted to regular configuration groups.

Best Practices

Use Group Filtering: When building configuration interfaces, filter parameters by group to organize related settings and improve user experience
Respect Parameter Types: Always validate input data according to the parameter's type field before submitting configuration changes
Handle Read-Only Parameters: Parameters with read_only: true should be displayed for information only and excluded from configuration forms
Implement Metric Tracking: Parameters with metric: true are suitable for historical data collection and trend monitoring
Cache Parameter Definitions: Parameter definitions change infrequently, making them excellent candidates for client-side caching to improve performance
Pagination Strategy: Use appropriate limit values (20-100) when retrieving large parameter sets to balance performance and usability
Required Field Validation: Always check the required flag when building forms to ensure proper validation before submission
Position-Based Ordering: Use the position field to maintain consistent parameter ordering across different interfaces