build-zoom-rest-api-app

/build-zoom-rest-api-app

Background reference for deterministic server-side Zoom automation and resource management. Prefer plan-zoom-product, plan-zoom-integration, or debug-zoom first, then route here for endpoint-level detail.

Zoom REST API

Expert guidance for building server-side integrations with the Zoom REST API. This API provides 600+ endpoints for managing meetings, users, webinars, recordings, reports, and all Zoom platform resources programmatically.

Official Documentation: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/ API Hub Reference: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/meetings/ OpenAPI Inventories: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/<domain>/methods/endpoints.json

Quick Links

New to Zoom REST API? Follow this path:

1. API Architecture - Base URLs, regional URLs, me keyword, ID vs UUID, time formats
2. Authentication Flows - OAuth setup (S2S, User, PKCE, Device Code)
3. Meeting URLs vs Meeting SDK - Stop mixing join_url with Meeting SDK
4. Meeting Lifecycle - Create → Update → Start → End → Delete with webhooks
5. Rate Limiting Strategy - Plan tiers, per-user limits, retry patterns

Reference:

• Meetings - Meeting CRUD, types, settings
• Users - User provisioning and management
• Recordings - Cloud recording access and download
• AI Services - Scribe endpoint inventory and current AI Services path surface
• GraphQL Queries - Alternative query API (beta)
• Integrated Index - see the section below in this file

Most domain files under references/ are aligned to the official API Hub endpoints.json inventories. Treat those files as the local source of truth for method/path discovery.

Having issues?

• Start with preflight checks → 5-Minute Runbook
• 401 Unauthorized → Authentication Flows (check token expiry, scopes)
• 429 Too Many Requests → Rate Limiting Strategy
• Error codes → Common Errors
• Pagination confusion → Common Issues
• Webhooks not arriving → Webhook Server
• Forum-derived FAQs → Forum Top Questions
• Token/scope failures → Token + Scope Playbook

Building event-driven integrations?

• Webhook Server - Express.js server with CRC validation
• Recording Pipeline - Auto-download via webhook events

Quick Start

Get an Access Token (Server-to-Server OAuth)

curl -X POST "https://zoom.us/oauth/token" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $(echo -n 'CLIENT_ID:CLIENT_SECRET' | base64)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "grant_type=account_credentials&account_id=ACCOUNT_ID"

Response:

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9...",
  "token_type": "bearer",
  "expires_in": 3600,
  "scope": "meeting:read meeting:write user:read"
}

Create a Meeting

curl -X POST "https://api.zoom.us/v2/users/HOST_USER_ID/meetings" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "topic": "Team Standup",
    "type": 2,
    "start_time": "2025-03-15T10:00:00Z",
    "duration": 30,
    "settings": {
      "join_before_host": false,
      "waiting_room": true
    }
  }'

For S2S OAuth, use an explicit host user ID or email in the path. Do not use me.

List Users with Pagination

curl "https://api.zoom.us/v2/users?page_size=300&status=active" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN"

Base URL

https://api.zoom.us/v2

Regional Base URLs

The api_url field in OAuth token responses indicates the user's region. Use regional URLs for data residency compliance:

Note: You can always use the global URL https://api.zoom.us regardless of the api_url value.

Key Features

Prerequisites

• Zoom account (Free tier has API access with lower rate limits)
• App registered on Zoom App Marketplace
• OAuth credentials (Server-to-Server OAuth or User OAuth)
• Appropriate scopes for target endpoints

Need help with authentication? See the zoom-oauth skill for complete OAuth flow implementation.

Critical Gotchas and Best Practices

⚠️ JWT App Type is Deprecated

The JWT app type is deprecated. Migrate to Server-to-Server OAuth. This does NOT affect JWT token signatures used in Video SDK — only the Marketplace "JWT" app type for REST API access.

// OLD (JWT app type - DEPRECATED)
const token = jwt.sign({ iss: apiKey, exp: expiry }, apiSecret);

// NEW (Server-to-Server OAuth)
const token = await getServerToServerToken(accountId, clientId, clientSecret);

⚠️ The me Keyword Rules

• User-level OAuth apps: MUST use me instead of userId (otherwise: invalid token error)
• Server-to-Server OAuth apps: MUST NOT use me — provide the actual userId or email
• Account-level OAuth apps: Can use either me or userId

⚠️ Meeting ID vs UUID — Double Encoding

UUIDs that begin with / or contain // must be double URL-encoded:

// UUID: /abc==
// Single encode: %2Fabc%3D%3D
// Double encode: %252Fabc%253D%253D  ← USE THIS

const uuid = '/abc==';
const encoded = encodeURIComponent(encodeURIComponent(uuid));
const url = `https://api.zoom.us/v2/meetings/${encoded}`;

⚠️ Time Formats

• yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ — UTC time (note the Z suffix)
• yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss — Local time (no Z, uses timezone field)
• Some report APIs only accept UTC. Check the API reference for each endpoint.

⚠️ Rate Limits Are Per-Account, Not Per-App

All apps on the same Zoom account share rate limits. One heavy app can impact others. Monitor X-RateLimit-Remaining headers proactively.

⚠️ Per-User Daily Limits

Meeting/Webinar create/update operations are limited to 100 per day per user (resets at 00:00 UTC). Distribute operations across different host users when doing bulk operations.

⚠️ Download URLs Require Auth and Follow Redirects

Recording download_url values require Bearer token authentication and may redirect. Always follow redirects:

curl -L -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN" "https://zoom.us/rec/download/..."

Use Webhooks Instead of Polling

// DON'T: Poll every minute (wastes API quota)
setInterval(() => getMeetings(), 60000);

// DO: Receive webhook events in real-time
app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  if (req.body.event === 'meeting.started') {
    handleMeetingStarted(req.body.payload);
  }
  res.status(200).send();
});

Webhook setup details: See the zoom-webhooks skill for comprehensive webhook implementation.

Complete Documentation Library

This skill includes comprehensive guides organized by category:

Core Concepts

• API Architecture - REST design, base URLs, regional routing, me keyword, ID vs UUID, time formats
• Authentication Flows - All OAuth flows (S2S, User, PKCE, Device Code)
• Rate Limiting Strategy - Limits by plan, retry patterns, request queuing

Complete Examples

• Meeting Lifecycle - Full Create → Update → Start → End → Delete flow with webhook events
• User Management - CRUD users, list with pagination, bulk operations
• Recording Pipeline - Download recordings via webhooks + API
• Webhook Server - Express.js server with CRC validation and signature verification
• GraphQL Queries - GraphQL queries, mutations, cursor pagination

Troubleshooting

• Common Errors - HTTP status codes, Zoom error codes, error response formats
• Common Issues - Rate limits, token refresh, pagination pitfalls, gotchas

References (39 files covering all Zoom API domains)

Core APIs

• references/meetings.md - Meeting CRUD, types, settings
• references/users.md - User provisioning, types, scopes
• references/webinars.md - Webinar management, registrants
• references/recordings.md - Cloud recording access
• references/reports.md - Usage reports, analytics
• references/accounts.md - Account management

Communication

• references/team-chat.md - Team Chat messaging
• references/chatbot.md - Interactive chatbots
• references/phone.md - Zoom Phone
• references/mail.md - Zoom Mail
• references/calendar.md - Zoom Calendar

Infrastructure

• references/rooms.md - Zoom Rooms
• references/scim2.md - SCIM 2.0 provisioning APIs
• references/rate-limits.md - Rate limit details
• references/qss.md - Quality of Service Subscription

Advanced

• references/graphql.md - GraphQL API (beta)
• references/ai-companion.md - AI features
• references/authentication.md - Auth reference
• references/openapi.md - OpenAPI specs, Postman, code generation

Additional API Domains

• references/events.md - Events and event platform APIs
• references/scheduler.md - Zoom Scheduler APIs
• references/tasks.md - Tasks APIs
• references/whiteboard.md - Whiteboard APIs
• references/video-management.md - Video management APIs
• references/video-sdk-api.md - Video SDK REST APIs
• references/marketplace-apps.md - Marketplace app management
• references/commerce.md - Commerce and billing APIs
• references/contact-center.md - Contact Center APIs
• references/quality-management.md - Quality management APIs
• references/workforce-management.md - Workforce management APIs
• references/healthcare.md - Healthcare APIs
• references/auto-dialer.md - Auto dialer APIs
• references/number-management.md - Number management APIs
• references/revenue-accelerator.md - Revenue Accelerator APIs
• references/virtual-agent.md - Virtual Agent APIs
• references/cobrowse-sdk-api.md - Cobrowse SDK APIs
• references/crc.md - Cloud Room Connector APIs
• references/clips.md - Clips APIs
• references/zoom-docs.md - Zoom docs and source references

Sample Repositories

Official (by Zoom)

Resources

• API Reference: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/
• GraphQL Playground: https://nws.zoom.us/graphql/playground
• Postman Collection: https://marketplace.zoom.us/docs/api-reference/postman
• Developer Forum: https://devforum.zoom.us/
• Changelog: https://developers.zoom.us/changelog/
• Status Page: https://status.zoom.us/

---

Need help? Start with Integrated Index section below for complete navigation.

---

Integrated Index

This section was migrated from SKILL.md.

Quick Start Path

If you're new to the Zoom REST API, follow this order:

1. Run preflight checks first → RUNBOOK.md

2. Understand the API design → concepts/api-architecture.md

   • Base URLs, regional endpoints, me keyword rules
   • Meeting ID vs UUID, double-encoding, time formats

3. Set up authentication → concepts/authentication-flows.md

   • Server-to-Server OAuth (backend automation)
   • User OAuth with PKCE (user-facing apps)
   • Cross-reference: zoom-oauth

4. Create your first meeting → examples/meeting-lifecycle.md

   • Full CRUD with curl and Node.js examples
   • Webhook event integration

5. Handle rate limits → concepts/rate-limiting-strategy.md

   • Plan-based limits, retry patterns, request queuing

6. Set up webhooks → examples/webhook-server.md

   • CRC validation, signature verification, event handling

7. Troubleshoot issues → troubleshooting/common-issues.md

   • Token refresh, pagination pitfalls, common gotchas

---

Documentation Structure

rest-api/
├── SKILL.md                              # Main skill overview + quick start
├── SKILL.md                              # This file - navigation guide
│
├── concepts/                             # Core architectural concepts
│   ├── api-architecture.md              # REST design, URLs, IDs, time formats
│   ├── authentication-flows.md          # OAuth flows (S2S, User, PKCE, Device)
│   └── rate-limiting-strategy.md        # Limits by plan, retry, queuing
│
├── examples/                             # Complete working code
│   ├── meeting-lifecycle.md             # Create→Update→Start→End→Delete
│   ├── user-management.md              # CRUD users, pagination, bulk ops
│   ├── recording-pipeline.md           # Download recordings via webhooks
│   ├── webhook-server.md               # Express.js CRC + signature verification
│   └── graphql-queries.md              # GraphQL queries, mutations, pagination
│
├── troubleshooting/                      # Problem solving
│   ├── common-errors.md                # HTTP codes, Zoom error codes table
│   └── common-issues.md               # Rate limits, tokens, pagination pitfalls
│
└── references/                           # 39 domain-specific reference files
    ├── authentication.md                # Auth methods reference
    ├── meetings.md                      # Meeting endpoints
    ├── users.md                         # User management endpoints
    ├── webinars.md                      # Webinar endpoints
    ├── recordings.md                    # Cloud recording endpoints
    ├── reports.md                       # Reports & analytics
    ├── accounts.md                      # Account management
    ├── rate-limits.md                   # Rate limit details
    ├── graphql.md                       # GraphQL API (beta)
    ├── zoom-team-chat.md                     # Team Chat messaging
    ├── chatbot.md                       # Chatbot integration
    ├── phone.md                         # Zoom Phone
    ├── rooms.md                         # Zoom Rooms
    ├── calendar.md                      # Zoom Calendar
    ├── mail.md                          # Zoom Mail
    ├── ai-companion.md                  # AI features
    ├── openapi.md                       # OpenAPI specs
    ├── qss.md                           # Quality of Service
    ├── contact-center.md                # Contact Center
    ├── events.md                        # Zoom Events
    ├── whiteboard.md                    # Whiteboard
    ├── clips.md                         # Zoom Clips
    ├── scheduler.md                     # Scheduler
    ├── scim2.md                         # SCIM 2.0
    ├── marketplace-apps.md              # App management
    ├── zoom-video-sdk-api.md                 # Video SDK REST
    └── ... (39 total files)

---

By Use Case

I want to create and manage meetings

1. API Architecture - Base URL, time formats
2. Meeting Lifecycle - Full CRUD + webhook events
3. Meetings Reference - All endpoints, types, settings

I want to manage users programmatically

1. User Management - CRUD, pagination, bulk ops
2. Users Reference - Endpoints, user types, scopes

I want to download recordings automatically

1. Recording Pipeline - Webhook-triggered downloads
2. Recordings Reference - File types, download auth

I want to receive real-time events

1. Webhook Server - CRC validation, signature check
2. Cross-reference: zoom-webhooks for comprehensive webhook docs
3. Cross-reference: zoom-websockets for WebSocket events

I want to use GraphQL instead of REST

1. GraphQL Queries - Queries, mutations, pagination
2. GraphQL Reference - Available entities, scopes, rate limits

I want to set up authentication

1. Authentication Flows - All OAuth methods
2. Cross-reference: zoom-oauth for full OAuth implementation

I'm hitting rate limits

1. Rate Limiting Strategy - Limits by plan, strategies
2. Rate Limits Reference - Detailed tables
3. Common Issues - Practical solutions

I'm getting errors

1. Common Errors - Error code tables
2. Common Issues - Diagnostic workflow

I want to build webinars

1. Webinars Reference - Endpoints, types, registrants
2. Meeting Lifecycle - Similar patterns apply

I want to integrate Zoom Phone

1. Phone Reference - Phone API endpoints
2. Rate Limiting Strategy - Separate Phone rate limits

---

Most Critical Documents

1. API Architecture (FOUNDATION)

concepts/api-architecture.md

Essential knowledge before making any API call:

• Base URLs and regional endpoints
• The me keyword rules (different per app type!)
• Meeting ID vs UUID double-encoding
• ISO 8601 time formats (UTC vs local)
• Download URL authentication

2. Rate Limiting Strategy (MOST COMMON PRODUCTION ISSUE)

concepts/rate-limiting-strategy.md

Rate limits are per-account, shared across all apps:

• Free: 4/sec Light, 2/sec Medium, 1/sec Heavy
• Pro: 30/sec Light, 20/sec Medium, 10/sec Heavy
• Business+: 80/sec Light, 60/sec Medium, 40/sec Heavy
• Per-user: 100 meeting create/update per day

3. Meeting Lifecycle (MOST COMMON TASK)

examples/meeting-lifecycle.md

Complete CRUD with webhook integration — the pattern most developers need first.

---

Key Learnings

Critical Discoveries:

1. JWT app type is deprecated — use Server-to-Server OAuth

   • The JWT app type on Marketplace is deprecated, NOT JWT token signatures
   • See: Authentication Flows

2. me keyword behaves differently by app type

   • User OAuth: MUST use me
   • S2S OAuth: MUST NOT use me
   • See: API Architecture

3. Rate limiting is nuanced (don’t assume a single global rule)

   • Limits can vary by endpoint and may be enforced at account/app/user levels
   • Treat quotas as potentially shared across your account and implement backoff
   • Monitor rate limit response headers (for example X-RateLimit-Remaining)
   • See: Rate Limiting Strategy

4. 100 meeting creates per user per day

   • This is a hard per-user limit, not related to rate limits
   • Distribute across host users for bulk operations
   • See: Rate Limiting Strategy

5. UUID double-encoding is required for certain UUIDs

   • UUIDs starting with / or containing // must be double-encoded
   • See: API Architecture

6. Pagination: use next_page_token, not page_number

   • page_number is legacy and being phased out
   • next_page_token is the recommended approach
   • See: Common Issues

7. GraphQL is at /v3/graphql, not /v2/

   • Single endpoint, cursor-based pagination
   • Rate limits apply per-field (each field = one REST equivalent)
   • See: GraphQL Queries

---

Quick Reference

"401 Unauthorized"

→ Authentication Flows - Token expired or wrong scopes

"429 Too Many Requests"

→ Rate Limiting Strategy - Check headers for reset time

"Invalid token" when using userId

→ API Architecture - User OAuth apps must use me

"How do I paginate results?"

→ Common Issues - Use next_page_token

"Webhooks not arriving"

→ Webhook Server - CRC validation required

"Recording download fails"

→ Recording Pipeline - Bearer auth + follow redirects

"How do I create a meeting?"

→ Meeting Lifecycle - Full working examples

---

Related Skills

---

Based on Zoom REST API v2 (current) and GraphQL v3 (beta)

Environment Variables

• See references/environment-variables.md for standardized .env keys and where to find each value.