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The API page in the Platform section of the Admin menu lets you manage access to the Looker API server endpoint. The page also provides a link to the API Explorer documentation.
Accessing the API page
To access the API page:
Click the Looker Main menu icon menu.
Click Admin to open the Admin menu.
Select API.
View the API Host URL.
API Host URL
The API Host URL is the user-facing domain name (and port) that users need to reach the Looker API server endpoint. To specify a URL, enter your API path in the API Host URL field in the following format:
https://<instance_name>.cloud.looker.com
For Looker installations behind a load balancer (for example, a cluster configuration) or other proxy, the user-facing domain name may be different from the actual Looker server machine name. If this is the case, the API Host URL must indicate the user-facing API host name and port.
If the API Host URL field is empty, Looker uses the default API path. For Looker instances hosted on Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and instances hosted on Amazon Web Service (AWS) that were created on or after 07/07/2020, the default Looker API path uses port 443. For Looker instances hosted on AWS that were created before 07/07/2020, the default Looker API path uses port 19999. The default API URL is in the following format:
https://<instance_name>.cloud.looker.com:<port>
API Documentation
If you have installed the API Explorer extension from the Looker Marketplace, you can click Use API Explorer to open the API Explorer and view current API documentation.
If you have not installed the API Explorer extension, you can click Install API Explorer from the Marketplace to install the API Explorer on your Looker instance.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Admin settings - API\n\nThe **API** page in the **Platform** section of the **Admin** menu lets you manage access to the Looker API server endpoint. The page also provides a link to the [API Explorer](/looker/docs/2512/api-explorer) documentation.\n\nAccessing the API page\n----------------------\n\nTo access the API page:\n\n1. Click the Looker **Main menu** icon menu.\n2. Click **Admin** to open the **Admin** menu.\n3. Select **API**.\n4. View the **API Host URL**.\n\n| **Note:** If you have a permission that provides access to only select pages in the Admin panel, such as [`manage_schedules`](/looker/docs/2512/admin-panel-users-roles#manage_schedules), [`manage_themes`](/looker/docs/2512/admin-panel-users-roles#manage_themes), or [`see_admin`](/looker/docs/2512/admin-panel-users-roles#see_admin), but you don't have the [Admin role](/looker/docs/2512/admin-panel-users-roles#default_roles), the page or pages that are described here may not be visible to you in the Admin panel.\n\nAPI Host URL\n------------\n\nThe **API Host URL** is the user-facing domain name (and port) that users need to reach the Looker API server endpoint. To specify a URL, enter your API path in the **API Host URL** field in the following format: \n\n https://\u003cinstance_name\u003e.cloud.looker.com\n\nFor Looker installations behind a load balancer (for example, a [cluster](/looker/docs/2512/clustering-looker) configuration) or other proxy, the user-facing domain name may be different from the actual Looker server machine name. If this is the case, the **API Host URL** must indicate the user-facing API host name and port.\n\nIf the **API Host URL** field is empty, Looker uses the default API path. For Looker instances hosted on Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and instances hosted on Amazon Web Service (AWS) that were created on or after 07/07/2020, the default Looker API path uses port `443`. For Looker instances hosted on AWS that were created before 07/07/2020, the default Looker API path uses port `19999`. The default API URL is in the following format: \n\n https://\u003cinstance_name\u003e.cloud.looker.com:\u003cport\u003e\n\nAPI Documentation\n-----------------\n\nIf you have installed the [API Explorer extension](/looker/docs/2512/api-explorer) from the [Looker Marketplace](/looker/docs/2512/marketplace), you can click **Use API Explorer** to open the API Explorer and view current API documentation.\n\nIf you have not installed the API Explorer extension, you can click **Install API Explorer from the Marketplace** to install the API Explorer on your Looker instance."]]
