Twitter has finally made its v2 API available to developers – totally rebuilt for the first time since 2012.
Here’s some great news for developers using Twitter API. The platform’s v2 API has been launched officially – nearly a month late due to Twitter’s well-publicized hack in July. The new Twitter API is the biggest update to the API for the last 8 years, and has been “rebuilt from the ground up to deliver new features faster.”
Feedback from developers has been instrumental in building the new API which includes new features “so you can get more out of the public conversation.” Developers will find a cleaner API that is easier to use, with features like the ability to specify the fields that are returned, or the ability to retrieve more Tweets from conversations within the same response.
The new API also brings highly-requested features like conversation threading, poll results, pinned Tweets, spam filtering, and more powerful stream filtering.
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Here’s what else is included.
New Access Levels
Twitter API v2 brings multiple access levels, making it easier for developers to get started and to grow what they build. Up until now, the Twitter API was broken up into three different platforms and experiences: standard (free), premium (self-serve paid), and enterprise (custom paid).
Migration from one to the other (as a developer’s needs expanded) was a tedious task. Not anymore. Soon, all developers – academic researchers, business owners, and makers – will be able to elevate their access and grow what they build on the same API.
New Product Tracks
To cater to the diversity of developers who use the API, Twitter plans to introduce new, distinct product tracks to better serve different needs, bringing access levels, and pricing that is more appropriate to them. To begin, these product tracks will include:
- Standard: The default product track for most developers, including those just getting started, building something for fun, for a good cause, and to learn or teach. Twitter plans to add Elevated access to this track in the future.
- Academic Research: For academic researchers who use the Twitter API to understand what’s going on in the public conversation, Twitter will be bringing a way to get Elevated or Custom access to relevant endpoints. Furthermore, Twitter plans to provide specific tools and guides to make it easier for researchers to use the Twitter API.
- Business: For developers building businesses on the Twitter API, Twitter plans to include Elevated or Custom access to relevant endpoints.
New Developer Portal
Twitter has also announced a new developer portal that helps developers get started with a new onboarding wizard, manage their Apps, understand their API usage and limits, access a new support center, find documentation, and more features that will come in the future.
Launching First
So, Twitter will release Early Access to a first set of endpoints for developers to:
- Stream Tweets in real-time or analyze past conversations.
- Measure Tweet performance.
- Listen for important events.
- And more, with options to explore Tweets from any account.
All API features released first will be available in the free, Basic access level. Most developers won’t need other access beyond Basic access. To get started on the new API you can create a new Project and App in the new developer portal. You can also connect your new Project to existing Apps if you like.
To get started with Early Access to the new Twitter API, visit the new developer portal. If you don’t yet have a developer account, apply to get started.