Render API

Render’s REST API manages services, deploys, environment variables, and more. Most day-to-day work happens in the dashboard, but the API enables automation.

Listing services

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $RENDER_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.render.com/v1/services?limit=20"

Triggering a deploy

# Using a deploy hook URL (no API key needed)
curl -X POST "https://api.render.com/deploy/srv-xxxx?key=yyyy"

Key endpoints

Endpoint	Description
GET /v1/services	List services
POST /v1/services	Create service
GET /v1/services/{serviceId}	Service details
PATCH /v1/services/{serviceId}	Update service
DELETE /v1/services/{serviceId}	Delete service
GET /v1/services/{serviceId}/deploys	List deploys
POST /v1/services/{serviceId}/deploys	Trigger deploy
GET /v1/owners	List owners

Real-world notes

Free tier sleep. Free web services sleep after 15 minutes without requests. The first request after sleep triggers a cold start (can take 30+ seconds). Don’t use uptime checks alone to prove availability.

Rate limits. Limits vary by endpoint. Most GET requests share a 400-per-minute limit per user; deploy hooks are limited per service. Handle HTTP 429 with backoff.

API keys. Keep keys in a secret store and revoke any exposed key through Render account settings.