OpenStack API Guide

The OpenStack API is a RESTful HTTP API that allows you to programmatically manage your cloud resources. Instead of using the web control panel, you can write scripts, build automation, or integrate cloud management into your applications.

RamNode Cloud provides complete OpenStack API compatibility, meaning any tool or library that works with standard OpenStack will work with RamNode Cloud.

There are several ways to interact with the OpenStack API:

• OpenStack CLI - Command-line tools for managing resources
• Python SDK - Native Python library for OpenStack
• REST API - Direct HTTP API calls
• Third-party tools - Terraform, Ansible, and other automation tools

For most users, we recommend starting with the OpenStack CLI, as it's the easiest way to get started.

RamNode Cloud uses the following API endpoints:

• Identity (Keystone): https://cloud.ramnode.com:5000/v3
• Compute (Nova): Available after authentication
• Network (Neutron): Available after authentication
• Image (Glance): Available after authentication
• Block Storage (Cinder): Available after authentication
• Object Storage (Swift): Available after authentication

The Identity endpoint is used for authentication. Once authenticated, you'll receive a service catalog with the URLs for all other services.

Authentication with the OpenStack API uses your Cloud Control Panel credentials. The easiest way is to download your RC file from the control panel:

1. Log into the Cloud Control Panel
2. Click your username in the top right
3. Select OpenStack RC File
4. Download the Identity API v3 version

The RC file contains all necessary authentication parameters. When you source it in your terminal, it sets environment variables that the OpenStack CLI automatically uses.

RamNode Cloud is fully compatible with the official OpenStack APIs. You can refer to these resources:

• OpenStack API Quick Start
• OpenStack API Reference
• OpenStack CLI Documentation
• RamNode OpenStack SDK Tutorial

The OpenStack API allows you to perform virtually any action available in the web control panel:

• Instance Management - Create, start, stop, reboot, resize, and delete instances
• Networking - Manage floating IPs, security groups, and private networks
• Storage - Create and manage block storage volumes and snapshots
• Images - Upload custom images, create snapshots, and manage OS templates
• SSH Keys - Add and manage SSH keys for instance access
• Metadata - Set custom metadata on instances and resources
• Monitoring - Retrieve resource usage and performance metrics

API rate limits are set at reasonable levels to prevent abuse while allowing normal automation usage:

• API calls: 1000 requests per minute per project
• Instance creation: 50 instances per hour (can be increased)
• Authentication: 100 login attempts per hour

For most automation and management tasks, these limits are more than sufficient. If you have a legitimate use case requiring higher limits, contact support to discuss your needs.

Terraform has a native OpenStack provider that works perfectly with RamNode Cloud. Check out our Terraform deployment guide for detailed instructions.

terraform {
  required_providers {
    openstack = {
      source = "terraform-provider-openstack/openstack"
    }
  }
}

provider "openstack" {
  auth_url    = "https://cloud.ramnode.com:5000/v3"
  user_name   = "your-email@example.com"
  password    = "your-password"
  tenant_name = "your-project-name"
  domain_name = "Default"
  region      = "NYC1"
}

resource "openstack_compute_instance_v2" "web_server" {
  name            = "web-server-01"
  image_name      = "Ubuntu 22.04 LTS"
  flavor_name     = "c1.small"
  key_pair        = "my-ssh-key"
  security_groups = ["default", "web"]

  network {
    name = "public"
  }
}

Ansible includes OpenStack modules that work with RamNode Cloud. You can use Ansible for both provisioning cloud resources and configuring instances.

---
- name: Create RamNode Cloud instance
  hosts: localhost
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: Launch instance
      openstack.cloud.server:
        state: present
        auth:
          auth_url: https://cloud.ramnode.com:5000/v3
          username: your-email@example.com
          password: your-password
          project_name: your-project-name
          user_domain_name: Default
          project_domain_name: Default
        name: ansible-instance
        image: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
        flavor: c1.small
        key_name: my-key
        network: public
        security_groups:
          - default
          - web

OpenStack has official SDKs for multiple languages:

• Python: pip install openstacksdk
• Go: Gophercloud
• Ruby: fog-openstack
• Java: openstack4j

import openstack

# Create connection
conn = openstack.connect(
    auth_url='https://cloud.ramnode.com:5000/v3',
    project_name='your-project',
    username='your-email@example.com',
    password='your-password',
    user_domain_name='Default',
    project_domain_name='Default',
    region_name='NYC1'
)

# List all instances
for server in conn.compute.servers():
    print(f"Server: {server.name} - {server.status}")

# Create a new instance
server = conn.compute.create_server(
    name='python-instance',
    image='Ubuntu 22.04 LTS',
    flavor='c1.small',
    network='public',
    key_name='my-key'
)

print(f"Created server: {server.id}")

When working with the API, here are some tips for handling common issues:

Enable Verbose Output

# OpenStack CLI with debug output
openstack --debug server list

# Set debug environment variable
export OS_DEBUG=1

Common Error Codes

• 401 Unauthorized - Invalid credentials or expired token
• 403 Forbidden - Insufficient permissions
• 404 Not Found - Resource doesn't exist
• 409 Conflict - Resource state conflict (e.g., instance already stopped)
• 429 Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded
• 500 Internal Server Error - Server-side issue (contact support)

Check API Status

# Test authentication
openstack token issue

# Check service endpoints
openstack catalog list

• Never hardcode credentials - Use environment variables or secure credential stores
• Use application credentials - Create limited-scope credentials for applications
• Rotate passwords regularly - Change your password every 90 days
• Use HTTPS only - Never disable SSL certificate verification
• Limit token lifetime - Tokens expire after 12 hours by default
• Audit API usage - Review logs regularly for unauthorized access
• Use IP restrictions - When possible, restrict API access by IP address