---
title: "Introduction"
slug: "cluster-api-introduction"
description: "VAST Cluster API: VAST AI-OS Management Server via REST- automate infrastructure, query metrics, and manage system configuration with JSON/Swagger support"
updated: 2026-10-26T17:28:55Z
published: 2026-10-26T17:28:55Z
canonical: "docs.vastdata.com/cluster-api-introduction"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vastdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

## **VAST Cluster API**

The VAST Cluster API gives you direct, programmatic access to the VAST Management Server (VMS), the same administrative layer that powers the VAST Web UI and CLI. Built as a RESTful interface with a fully documented Swagger schema, it lets administrators and developers query and modify system configuration, automate infrastructure management, and pull metrics into external tooling, all over standard HTTP methods with JSON responses. Whether you're scripting routine operations or building custom management integrations, the API exposes the full depth of VAST's platform capabilities in an automation-ready format.

All endpoints on the left are relative to a base URL formed from your own cluster's management API and, optionally, the version (with requests defaulting to the oldest (not the latest!) available version if not specified): `https://<your VMS IP or hostname>/api/<version><path>`. For example, the "Create a Protected Path" endpoint is called at `https://<your VMS IP>/api/v8/protectedpaths/`. Replace `<your VMS IP>` with your VAST cluster's management IP address or hostname. For full details of how to form requests, see [Making API Requests](https://kb.vastdata.com/api-5-5/apidocs/cluster-api-getting-started#making-api-requests).