Import REST API

Description

dotCMS’s Import REST API gives developers a powerful, scalable way to bring external content into dotCMS with precision, visibility, and control. Built for real-world content migration and integration workflows, this API supports large-volume imports from files, other systems, or even other dotCMS instances — and lets you manage the full lifecycle of those jobs programmatically.

What sets it apart is rich job feedback: you can validate data before import, track progress in real time, inspect detailed status and error reports, and schedule imports to run during off-peak hours. Jobs are queued and executed reliably, making bulk operations predictable and safe in production environments.

Benefits

For Developers

• Programmatic bulk imports: Load large volumes of content from CSV files, external systems, or other dotCMS instances without manual intervention.

• Real-time monitoring: Track job progress and status with detailed messages and error reports so you can react quickly and troubleshoot issues confidently.

• Job scheduling: Run large import jobs at times that minimize system load and performance impact.

• Validation and control: Validate files before running an import to catch issues early and avoid failed jobs.

For Content & Ops Teams

• Efficient migrations: Move content from legacy CMS platforms or external sources into dotCMS with developer automation, accelerating migration projects.

• Consistent results: Detailed status and error reporting help ensure imports complete cleanly and accurately across environments.

Use Cases

Content Migration Projects
A company migrating thousands of articles and assets from a legacy CMS uses the Import REST API to programmatically transfer, validate, and publish content into dotCMS with full status visibility.

Scheduled Product Catalog Updates
An e-commerce team receives weekly product data from an external system and uses scheduled import jobs to automatically bring in updates during off-peak hours.

Multi-Instance Synchronization
A developer automates syncing content between staging and production environments by triggering import jobs that keep both instances aligned with minimal manual steps.

Resources

• Content API Documentation

• Headless Architecture: REST APIs Blog Post