Observable Hq

Observable occupies two distinct spaces: Observable notebooks (collaborative JavaScript notebooks for data exploration, like Jupyter but reactive) and Observable Framework (static data app builder using SQL + JS that deploys to any host). For agents using Observable: the REST API manages notebooks and embeds, while Framework enables agent-generated data apps that deploy statically. Strong visualization ecosystem via Plot (Observable's charting library) and D3 integration. Confidence is docs-derived.

REST API at api.observablehq.com/v1. Resources: notebooks, teams, deployments. GET /notebooks/{id} retrieves a notebook. POST /notebooks creates a new notebook (from content or template). PUT /notebooks/{id} updates notebook content. Embeds: GET /embed/{id} retrieves embed metadata. Observable Framework: separate CLI-based build tool (npm run build → static output); no REST API for Framework. Notebook API useful for notebook management in CI/CD or agent workflows.

API key auth: Authorization: ApiKey {api_key} header. Keys from Observable account settings → API keys. User-scoped key. HTTPS enforced. No OAuth2. Notebook visibility (private/team/public) controls access.

REST API error handling: standard HTTP codes with JSON errors. Observable Platform uptime at status.observablehq.com. Observable Framework: build failures surface as CLI errors. Notebook compilation: reactive JavaScript errors surface in the notebook UI. Static output from Framework is reliable post-build.

observablehq.com/documentation covers Observable notebooks, Plot library, Framework documentation, and REST API reference. Getting started: create an account, open a notebook, import data in under 5 minutes. Observable Framework: npm install @observablehq/framework, first data app in under 15 minutes. Community via Observable Forum and GitHub (observablehq/framework).