Device Filters & Registration APIs Overview

N-central's Device Filters and Registration APIs provide read access to two essential security and management features: device filtering and secure agent registration. While these features offer extensive functionality through the N-central UI, the current API endpoints focus on retrieving filter information and registration tokens programmatically.

Understanding Device Filters

Device filters in N-able N-central are powerful tools that let you apply service templates and scheduled tasks to devices based on specific criteria. While the UI allows for creating and modifying filters, the API currently provides a GET endpoint (/api/device-filters) to retrieve existing filters. This is particularly valuable when:

• Building custom dashboards that need to reference filter IDs
• Automating reports based on existing filter criteria
• Integrating filter information into external systems
• Tracking filter usage across your growing network

Registration Token System

The registration token system is an essential security feature for N-able N-central agent installations. The API provides GET endpoints for retrieving tokens at different organizational levels:

GET /api/customers/{customerId}/registration-token
GET /api/sites/{siteId}/registration-token
GET /api/org-units/{orgUnitId}/registration-token

These endpoints help you:

• Automate the retrieval of registration tokens for agent deployment
• Support token distribution for Windows, macOS, and Linux agents
• Integrate token generation into your deployment workflows
• Maintain security during agent installation process

The retrieved tokens can be used with customer-centric agent installations and are essential when distributing agent installer URLs to users.

API Methods

Device Filters

List and manage filters that control how devices are grouped and displayed in N-central. Device filters help you organize and categorize devices based on custom criteria.

Available Endpoints

GET /api/device-filters

Lists all available device filters with optional filtering and pagination.

Key Parameters

• viewScope: Controls the scope of filters returned (ALL or OWN_AND_USED)
• pageSize: Number of items to retrieve per page (1-1000)
• sortBy: Field to sort results by
• sortOrder: Order direction (ASC or DESC)

Response Properties

• filterId: Unique identifier for the filter
• filterName: Human-readable name of the filter
• description: Detailed description of the filter's purpose

Registration Tokens

Generate and manage registration tokens for automated device onboarding at the customer or site level.

Available Endpoints

GET /api/customers/{customerId}/registration-token

Retrieves a registration token for a specific customer.

GET /api/sites/{siteId}/registration-token

Retrieves a registration token for a specific site.

GET /api/org-units/{orgUnitId}/registration-token

Retrieves a registration token for a specific organization unit (Note: only CUSTOMER and SITE levels are supported).

Token Types

• Customer Registration Token: Organization-wide token for customer-level device registration
• Site Registration Token: Site-specific token for targeted device registration

Key Properties

• registrationToken: Unique token string for device registration
• registrationTokenExpiryDate: Timestamp when the token expires
• tokenScope: Scope of the token (Customer or Site level)

Key Features

Flexible Filter Views

Access device filters with customizable view scopes:

• View all available filters
• Focus on owned and used filters only
• Track filter usage across your organization

Token-Based Registration

Generate and manage registration tokens with:

• Customer-level token generation
• Site-specific token generation
• Automatic token expiration tracking
• Standardized token format

Advanced Pagination

Control data retrieval with sophisticated pagination features:

• Configurable page sizes (1-1000 items)
• Customizable sorting fields
• Multiple sort order options (ASC/DESC)
• Total item count tracking

Example Implementation

Listing Device Filters

GET /api/device-filters
Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_ACCESS_TOKEN>

Example Response:

{
    "data": [
        {
            "filterId": "75",
            "filterName": "Laptops - Windows",
            "description": "Laptop devices running Windows"
        }
    ],
    "totalItems": 1
}

Getting Registration Token

GET /api/customers/{customerId}/registration-token
Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_ACCESS_TOKEN>

Example Response:

{
    "data": {
        "registrationToken": "2f64ee5e-7c37-dce7-ffd2-d32912609623",
        "registrationTokenExpiryDate": "2024-05-01T23:59:00-04:00[America/New_York]"
    }
}