Collection API - Elixir SDK Documentation

Overview

The Collection API provides endpoints for managing collections (Base, Auth, and View types). All operations require superuser authentication and allow you to create, read, update, and delete collections along with their schemas and configurations.

Key Features:

List and search collections
View collection details
Create collections (base, auth, view)
Update collection schemas and rules
Delete collections
Truncate collections (delete all records)
Import collections in bulk
Get collection scaffolds (templates)

Backend Endpoints:

GET /api/collections - List collections
GET /api/collections/{collection} - View collection
POST /api/collections - Create collection
PATCH /api/collections/{collection} - Update collection
DELETE /api/collections/{collection} - Delete collection
DELETE /api/collections/{collection}/truncate - Truncate collection
PUT /api/collections/import - Import collections
GET /api/collections/meta/scaffolds - Get scaffolds

Note: All Collection API operations require superuser authentication.

Authentication

All Collection API operations require superuser authentication:

alias Bosbase.Client

pb = Client.new("http://127.0.0.1:8090")

# Authenticate as superuser
{:ok, _auth} = Client.collection(pb, "_superusers")
  |> Bosbase.RecordService.auth_with_password("admin@example.com", "password")

List Collections

Returns a paginated list of collections with support for filtering and sorting.

# Basic list
{:ok, result} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_list(%{page: 1, perPage: 30})

IO.inspect(result["page"])        # 1
IO.inspect(result["perPage"])     # 30
IO.inspect(result["totalItems"])  # Total collections count
IO.inspect(result["items"])       # List of collections

Advanced Filtering and Sorting

# Filter by type
{:ok, auth_collections} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_list(%{
    page: 1,
    perPage: 100,
    filter: ~s(type = "auth")
  })

# Filter by name pattern
{:ok, matching} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_list(%{
    page: 1,
    perPage: 100,
    filter: ~s(name ~ "user")
  })

# Sort by creation date
{:ok, sorted} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_list(%{
    page: 1,
    perPage: 100,
    sort: "-created"
  })

# Complex filter
{:ok, filtered} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_list(%{
    page: 1,
    perPage: 100,
    filter: ~s(type = "base" && system = false && created >= "2023-01-01"),
    sort: "name"
  })

Get Full List

# Get all collections at once
{:ok, all_collections} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_full_list(false, %{
    sort: "name",
    filter: ~s(system = false)
  })

Get First Matching Collection

# Get first auth collection
{:ok, auth_collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_first_list_item(~s(type = "auth"))

View Collection

Retrieve a single collection by ID or name:

# By name
{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_one("posts")

# By ID
{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_one("_pbc_2287844090")

# With field selection
{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_one("posts", %{
    fields: "id,name,type,fields.name,fields.type"
  })

Create Collection

Create a new collection with schema fields and configuration.

Note: If the created and updated fields are not specified during collection initialization, BosBase will automatically create them. These system fields are added to all collections by default and track when records are created and last modified. You don’t need to include them in your field definitions.

Create Base Collection

base_collection = %{
  "name" => "posts",
  "type" => "base",
  "fields" => [
    %{
      "name" => "title",
      "type" => "text",
      "required" => true,
      "min" => 10,
      "max" => 255
    },
    %{
      "name" => "content",
      "type" => "editor",
      "required" => false
    },
    %{
      "name" => "published",
      "type" => "bool",
      "required" => false
    },
    %{
      "name" => "author",
      "type" => "relation",
      "required" => true,
      "collectionId" => "_pbc_users_auth_",
      "maxSelect" => 1
    }
  ],
  "listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\"",
  "viewRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\" || published = true",
  "createRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\"",
  "updateRule" => "author = @request.auth.id",
  "deleteRule" => "author = @request.auth.id"
}

{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{body: base_collection})

Create Auth Collection

auth_collection = %{
  "name" => "users",
  "type" => "auth",
  "fields" => [
    %{
      "name" => "name",
      "type" => "text",
      "required" => false
    },
    %{
      "name" => "avatar",
      "type" => "file",
      "required" => false,
      "maxSelect" => 1,
      "maxSize" => 2_097_152,
      "mimeTypes" => ["image/jpeg", "image/png"]
    }
  ],
  "listRule" => nil,
  "viewRule" => "@request.auth.id = id",
  "createRule" => nil,
  "updateRule" => "@request.auth.id = id",
  "deleteRule" => "@request.auth.id = id",
  "manageRule" => nil,
  "authRule" => "verified = true",
  "passwordAuth" => %{
    "enabled" => true,
    "identityFields" => ["email", "username"]
  },
  "authToken" => %{
    "duration" => 604_800
  }
}

{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{body: auth_collection})

Create View Collection

view_collection = %{
  "name" => "published_posts",
  "type" => "view",
  "listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\"",
  "viewRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\"",
  "viewQuery" => """
    SELECT 
      p.id,
      p.title,
      p.content,
      p.created,
      u.name as author_name,
      u.email as author_email
    FROM posts p
    LEFT JOIN users u ON p.author = u.id
    WHERE p.published = true
  """
}

{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{body: view_collection})

Create from Scaffold

Use predefined scaffolds as a starting point:

# Get available scaffolds
{:ok, scaffolds} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_scaffolds()

# Create base collection from scaffold
{:ok, base_collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create_base("my_posts", %{
    "fields" => [
      %{
        "name" => "title",
        "type" => "text",
        "required" => true
      }
    ]
  })

# Create auth collection from scaffold
{:ok, auth_collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create_auth("my_users", %{
    "passwordAuth" => %{
      "enabled" => true,
      "identityFields" => ["email"]
    }
  })

# Create view collection from scaffold
{:ok, view_collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create_view("my_view", "SELECT id, title FROM posts", %{
    "listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\""
  })

Accessing Collection ID After Creation

When a collection is successfully created, the returned map includes the "id" key, which contains the unique identifier assigned by the backend. You can access it immediately after creation:

# Create a collection and access its ID
{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{
    body: %{
      "name" => "posts",
      "type" => "base",
      "fields" => [
        %{
          "name" => "title",
          "type" => "text",
          "required" => true
        }
      ]
    }
  })

# Access the collection ID
IO.inspect(collection["id"]) # e.g., "_pbc_2287844090"

# Use the ID for subsequent operations
{:ok, _updated} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.update(collection["id"], %{
    body: %{"listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\""}
  })

Update Collection

Update an existing collection’s schema, fields, or rules:

# Update collection name and rules
{:ok, updated} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.update("posts", %{
    body: %{
      "name" => "articles",
      "listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\" || status = \"public\"",
      "viewRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\" || status = \"public\""
    }
  })

# Add new field
{:ok, collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_one("posts")

updated_fields = collection["fields"] ++ [
  %{
    "name" => "tags",
    "type" => "select",
    "options" => %{
      "values" => ["tech", "science", "art"]
    }
  }
]

{:ok, _updated} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.update("posts", %{
    body: Map.put(collection, "fields", updated_fields)
  })

Manage Indexes

BosBase stores collection indexes as SQL expressions on the indexes property of a collection. The Elixir SDK provides dedicated helpers so you don’t have to manually craft the SQL or resend the full collection payload every time you want to adjust an index.

Add or Update Indexes

# Create a unique slug index (index names are optional)
{:ok, _collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.add_index("posts", ["slug"], true, "idx_posts_slug_unique")

# Composite (non-unique) index; defaults to idx_{collection}_{columns}
{:ok, _collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.add_index("posts", ["status", "published"])

collection can be either the collection name or internal id.
columns must reference existing columns (system fields such as id, created, and updated are allowed).
unique (default false) controls whether CREATE UNIQUE INDEX or CREATE INDEX is generated.
index_name is optional; omit it to let the SDK generate idx_{collection}_{column1}_{column2} automatically.

Calling add_index twice with the same name replaces the definition on the backend, making it easy to iterate on your schema.

Remove Indexes

# Remove the index that targets the slug column
{:ok, _collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.remove_index("posts", ["slug"])

remove_index looks for indexes that contain all of the provided columns (in any order) and drops them from the collection. This deletes the actual database index when the collection is saved.

List Indexes

{:ok, indexes} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_indexes("posts")

Enum.each(indexes, fn idx -> IO.puts(idx) end)
# => CREATE UNIQUE INDEX `idx_posts_slug_unique` ON `posts` (`slug`)

get_indexes returns the raw SQL strings stored on the collection so you can audit existing indexes or decide whether you need to create new ones.

Delete Collection

Delete a collection (including all records and files):

# Delete by name
{:ok, _} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.delete("old_collection")

# Delete by ID
{:ok, _} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.delete("_pbc_2287844090")

# Using deleteCollection method (alias)
{:ok, _} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.delete_collection("old_collection")

Warning: This operation is destructive and will:

Delete the collection schema
Delete all records in the collection
Delete all associated files
Remove all indexes

Note: Collections referenced by other collections cannot be deleted.

Truncate Collection

Delete all records in a collection while keeping the collection schema:

# Truncate collection (delete all records)
{:ok, _} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.truncate("posts")

Warning: This operation is destructive and cannot be undone. It’s useful for:

Clearing test data
Resetting collections
Bulk data removal

Note: View collections cannot be truncated.

Import Collections

Bulk import multiple collections at once:

collections_to_import = [
  %{
    "name" => "posts",
    "type" => "base",
    "fields" => [
      %{
        "name" => "title",
        "type" => "text",
        "required" => true
      },
      %{
        "name" => "content",
        "type" => "editor"
      }
    ],
    "listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\""
  },
  %{
    "name" => "categories",
    "type" => "base",
    "fields" => [
      %{
        "name" => "name",
        "type" => "text",
        "required" => true
      }
    ]
  }
]

# Import without deleting existing collections
{:ok, _} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.import_collections(collections_to_import, false)

# Import and delete collections not in the import list
{:ok, _} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.import_collections(collections_to_import, true)

Import Options

delete_missing: false (default): Only create/update collections in the import list
delete_missing: true: Delete all collections not present in the import list

Warning: Using delete_missing: true will permanently delete collections and all their data.

Get Scaffolds

Get collection templates for creating new collections:

{:ok, scaffolds} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.get_scaffolds()

# Available scaffold types
IO.inspect(scaffolds["base"])   # Base collection template
IO.inspect(scaffolds["auth"])   # Auth collection template
IO.inspect(scaffolds["view"])   # View collection template

# Use scaffold as starting point
base_template = scaffolds["base"]
new_collection = base_template
  |> Map.put("name", "my_collection")
  |> Map.put("fields", (base_template["fields"] || []) ++ [
    %{
      "name" => "custom_field",
      "type" => "text"
    }
  ])

{:ok, _collection} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{body: new_collection})

Filter Syntax

Collections support filtering with the same syntax as records:

Supported Fields

id - Collection ID
created - Creation date
updated - Last update date
name - Collection name
type - Collection type (base, auth, view)
system - System collection flag (boolean)

Filter Examples

# Filter by type
filter: ~s(type = "auth")

# Filter by name pattern
filter: ~s(name ~ "user")

# Filter non-system collections
filter: ~s(system = false)

# Multiple conditions
filter: ~s(type = "base" && system = false && created >= "2023-01-01")

# Complex filter
filter: ~s((type = "auth" || type = "base") && name !~ "test")

Sort Options

Supported sort fields:

@random - Random order
id - Collection ID
created - Creation date
updated - Last update date
name - Collection name
type - Collection type
system - System flag

# Sort examples
sort: "name"           # ASC by name
sort: "-created"       # DESC by creation date
sort: "type,-created"  # ASC by type, then DESC by created

Complete Examples

Example 1: Setup Blog Collections

alias Bosbase.Client

pb = Client.new("http://127.0.0.1:8090")

# Authenticate as superuser
{:ok, _auth} = Client.collection(pb, "_superusers")
  |> Bosbase.RecordService.auth_with_password("admin@example.com", "password")

# Create posts collection
{:ok, posts} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{
    body: %{
      "name" => "posts",
      "type" => "base",
      "fields" => [
        %{
          "name" => "title",
          "type" => "text",
          "required" => true,
          "min" => 10,
          "max" => 255
        },
        %{
          "name" => "slug",
          "type" => "text",
          "required" => true,
          "options" => %{
            "pattern" => "^[a-z0-9-]+$"
          }
        },
        %{
          "name" => "content",
          "type" => "editor",
          "required" => true
        },
        %{
          "name" => "featured_image",
          "type" => "file",
          "maxSelect" => 1,
          "maxSize" => 5_242_880,
          "mimeTypes" => ["image/jpeg", "image/png"]
        },
        %{
          "name" => "published",
          "type" => "bool",
          "required" => false
        },
        %{
          "name" => "author",
          "type" => "relation",
          "collectionId" => "_pbc_users_auth_",
          "maxSelect" => 1
        },
        %{
          "name" => "categories",
          "type" => "relation",
          "collectionId" => "categories",
          "maxSelect" => 5
        }
      ],
      "listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\" || published = true",
      "viewRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\" || published = true",
      "createRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\"",
      "updateRule" => "author = @request.auth.id",
      "deleteRule" => "author = @request.auth.id"
    }
  })

# Create categories collection
{:ok, categories} = Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{
    body: %{
      "name" => "categories",
      "type" => "base",
      "fields" => [
        %{
          "name" => "name",
          "type" => "text",
          "required" => true,
          "unique" => true
        },
        %{
          "name" => "slug",
          "type" => "text",
          "required" => true
        },
        %{
          "name" => "description",
          "type" => "text",
          "required" => false
        }
      ],
      "listRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\"",
      "viewRule" => "@request.auth.id != \"\""
    }
  })

# Access collection IDs immediately after creation
IO.puts("Posts collection ID: #{posts["id"]}")
IO.puts("Categories collection ID: #{categories["id"]}")

Error Handling

case Bosbase.collections()
  |> Bosbase.CollectionService.create(%{
    body: %{
      "name" => "test",
      "type" => "base",
      "fields" => []
    }
  }) do
  {:ok, collection} ->
    IO.puts("Collection created: #{collection["id"]}")
  {:error, %{status: 401}} ->
    IO.puts("Not authenticated")
  {:error, %{status: 403}} ->
    IO.puts("Not a superuser")
  {:error, %{status: 400} = error} ->
    IO.puts("Validation error: #{inspect(error)}")
  {:error, error} ->
    IO.puts("Unexpected error: #{inspect(error)}")
end

Best Practices

Always Authenticate: Ensure you’re authenticated as a superuser before making requests
Backup Before Import: Always backup existing collections before using import_collections with delete_missing: true
Validate Schema: Validate collection schemas before creating/updating
Use Scaffolds: Use scaffolds as starting points for consistency
Test Rules: Test API rules thoroughly before deploying to production
Index Important Fields: Add indexes for frequently queried fields
Document Schemas: Keep documentation of your collection schemas
Version Control: Store collection schemas in version control for migration tracking

Limitations

Superuser Only: All operations require superuser authentication
System Collections: System collections cannot be deleted or renamed
View Collections: Cannot be truncated (they don’t store records)
Relations: Collections referenced by others cannot be deleted
Field Modifications: Some field type changes may require data migration

Collections Guide - Working with collections and records
API Records - Record CRUD operations
API Rules and Filters - Understanding API rules