# OpenAPI Callbacks

You could create an API with a *path operation* that could trigger a request to an *external API* created by someone else (probably the same developer that would be *using* your API).

The process that happens when your API app calls the *external API* is named a "callback". Because the software that the external developer wrote sends a request to your API and then your API *calls back*, sending a request to an *external API* (that was probably created by the same developer).

In this case, you could want to document how that external API *should* look like. What *path operation* it should have, what body it should expect, what response it should return, etc.

## An app with callbacks

Let's see all this with an example.

Imagine you develop an app that allows creating invoices.

These invoices will have an `id`, `title` (optional), `customer`, and `total`.

The user of your API (an external developer) will create an invoice in your API with a POST request.

Then your API will (let's imagine):

* Send the invoice to some customer of the external developer.
* Collect the money.
* Send a notification back to the API user (the external developer).
    * This will be done by sending a POST request (from *your API*) to some *external API* provided by that external developer (this is the "callback").

## The normal **FastAPI** app

Let's first see how the normal API app would look like before adding the callback.

It will have a *path operation* that will receive an `Invoice` body, and a query parameter `callback_url` that will contain the URL for the callback.

This part is pretty normal, most of the code is probably already familiar to you:

```Python hl_lines="9-13  36-53"
{!../../../docs_src/openapi_callbacks/tutorial001.py!}
```

!!! tip
    The `callback_url` query parameter uses a Pydantic <a href="https://pydantic-docs.helpmanual.io/usage/types/#urls" class="external-link" target="_blank">URL</a> type.

The only new thing is the `callbacks=messages_callback_router.routes` as an argument to the *path operation decorator*. We'll see what that is next.

## Documenting the callback

The actual callback code will depend heavily on your own API app.

And it will probably vary a lot from one app to the next.

It could be just one or two lines of code, like:

```Python
callback_url = "https://example.com/api/v1/invoices/events/"
httpx.post(callback_url, json={"description": "Invoice paid", "paid": True})
```

But possibly the most important part of the callback is making sure that your API user (the external developer) implements the *external API* correctly, according to the data that *your API* is going to send in the request body of the callback, etc.

So, what we will do next is add the code to document how that *external API* should look like to receive the callback from *your API*.

That documentation will show up in the Swagger UI at `/docs` in your API, and it will let external developers know how to build the *external API*.

This example doesn't implement the callback itself (that could be just a line of code), only the documentation part.

!!! tip
    The actual callback is just an HTTP request.

    When implementing the callback yourself, you could use something like <a href="https://www.python-httpx.org" class="external-link" target="_blank">HTTPX</a> or <a href="https://requests.readthedocs.io/" class="external-link" target="_blank">Requests</a>.

## Write the callback documentation code

This code won't be executed in your app, we only need it to *document* how that *external API* should look like.

But, you already know how to easily create automatic documentation for an API with **FastAPI**.

So we are going to use that same knowledge to document how the *external API* should look like... by creating the *path operation(s)* that the external API should implement (the ones your API will call).

!!! tip
    When writing the code to document a callback, it might be useful to imagine that you are that *external developer*. And that you are currently implementing the *external API*, not *your API*.

    Temporarily adopting this point of view (of the *external developer*) can help you feel like it's more obvious where to put the parameters, the Pydantic model for the body, for the response, etc. for that *external API*.

### Create a callback `APIRouter`

First create a new `APIRouter` that will contain one or more callbacks.

```Python hl_lines="3  25"
{!../../../docs_src/openapi_callbacks/tutorial001.py!}
```

### Create the callback *path operation*

To create the callback *path operation* use the same `APIRouter` you created above.

It should look just like a normal FastAPI *path operation*:

* It should probably have a declaration of the body it should receive, e.g. `body: InvoiceEvent`.
* And it could also have a declaration of the response it should return, e.g. `response_model=InvoiceEventReceived`.

```Python hl_lines="16-18  21-22  28-32"
{!../../../docs_src/openapi_callbacks/tutorial001.py!}
```

There are 2 main differences from a normal *path operation*:

* It doesn't need to have any actual code, because your app will never call this code. It's only used to document the *external API*. So, the function could just have `pass`.
* The *path* can contain an <a href="https://github.com/OAI/OpenAPI-Specification/blob/master/versions/3.0.2.md#key-expression" class="external-link" target="_blank">OpenAPI 3 expression</a> (see more below) where it can use variables with parameters and parts of the original request sent to *your API*.

### The callback path expression

The callback *path* can have an <a href="https://github.com/OAI/OpenAPI-Specification/blob/master/versions/3.0.2.md#key-expression" class="external-link" target="_blank">OpenAPI 3 expression</a> that can contain parts of the original request sent to *your API*.

In this case, it's the `str`:

```Python
"{$callback_url}/invoices/{$request.body.id}"
```

So, if your API user (the external developer) sends a request to *your API* to:

```
https://yourapi.com/invoices/?callback_url=https://www.external.org/events
```

with a JSON body of:

```JSON
{
    "id": "2expen51ve",
    "customer": "Mr. Richie Rich",
    "total": "9999"
}
```

Then *your API* will process the invoice, and at some point later, send a callback request to the `callback_url` (the *external API*):

```
https://www.external.org/events/invoices/2expen51ve
```

with a JSON body containing something like:

```JSON
{
    "description": "Payment celebration",
    "paid": true
}
```

and it would expect a response from that *external API* with a JSON body like:

```JSON
{
    "ok": true
}
```

!!! tip
    Notice how the callback URL used contains the URL received as a query parameter in `callback_url` (`https://www.external.org/events`) and also the invoice `id` from inside of the JSON body (`2expen51ve`).

### Add the callback router

At this point you have the *callback path operation(s)* needed (the one(s) that the *external developer*  should implement in the *external API*) in the callback router you created above.

Now use the parameter `callbacks` in *your API's path operation decorator* to pass the attribute `.routes` (that's actually just a `list` of routes/*path operations*) from that callback router:

```Python hl_lines="35"
{!../../../docs_src/openapi_callbacks/tutorial001.py!}
```

!!! tip
    Notice that you are not passing the router itself (`invoices_callback_router`) to `callback=`, but the attribute `.routes`, as in `invoices_callback_router.routes`.

### Check the docs

Now you can start your app with Uvicorn and go to <a href="http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs" class="external-link" target="_blank">http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs</a>.

You will see your docs including a "Callback" section for your *path operation* that shows how the *external API* should look like:

<img src="/img/tutorial/openapi-callbacks/image01.png">
