Bloomberg APIs apiflds API
API Field Information Service — discover and search Bloomberg fields
OpenAPI Specification
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
title: Bloomberg API (BLPAPI) apiauth apiflds API
version: '2.54'
summary: Logical OpenAPI representation of the Bloomberg API (BLPAPI) v3.x
description: 'The Bloomberg API (BLPAPI) is the official client-side library for accessing
Bloomberg market data, reference data, news, and analytics services across
Desktop API, Server API, and B-PIPE delivery models.
> **Important — protocol shape**: The native BLPAPI is **NOT** an HTTP/REST
> API. It is a binary, session-oriented, message-passing API delivered over
> the Bloomberg Network using the BLPAPI client SDK (C, C++, Java, .NET, Python).
> It uses a request/response paradigm and a subscription paradigm rather than
> stateless HTTP verbs.
>
> This OpenAPI document is a **logical mapping** of the BLPAPI service and
> schema model into HTTP-shaped operations so that:
>
> - The request and response message shapes for each Bloomberg service
> can be discovered, indexed, and reasoned about by tooling that speaks OpenAPI.
> - Agents and code-generators can derive typed client wrappers around the
> official BLPAPI SDK.
> - The Bloomberg services and their operations become discoverable in
> APIs.json indexes alongside REST APIs.
>
> **It is not a runnable HTTP gateway**. Calls described here must be
> translated into BLPAPI SDK requests against a Bloomberg session.
>
> For Bloomberg''s REST/HTTP products (Bloomberg Data License REST API,
> Bloomberg HAPI, Enterprise Data Catalog) refer to those products'' own
> developer portals — they are separate from BLPAPI.
## Services
The BLPAPI exposes services at well-known service names:
- `//blp/refdata` — Reference Data Service (request/response)
- `//blp/mktdata` — Market Data Service (subscription)
- `//blp/mktvwap` — Custom VWAP Service (subscription)
- `//blp/mktbar` — Market Bar Subscription Service (subscription)
- `//blp/apiflds` — API Field Information Service (request/response)
- `//blp/pagedata` — Page Data Service (subscription)
- `//blp/tasvc` — Technical Analysis Service (request/response)
- `//blp/apiauth` — API Authorization Service (request/response)
- `//blp/instruments` — Instruments Service (request/response)
B-PIPE-only services (`//blp/mktdepthdata`, `//blp/mktlist`, `//blp/srcref`)
are documented in the BLPAPI Developer''s Guide section 9 and not modeled here.
## Identifier formats
Securities follow the format `[Topic Prefix]/SYMBOLOGY[@Pricing Source][Exchange]`
with optional Yellow Key (Govt, Corp, Mtge, M-Mkt, Muni, Pfd, Equity, Comdty,
Index, Curncy, Client). The default Topic Prefix is `ticker`. Other prefixes
include `cusip`, `isin`, `sedol1`, `sedol2`, `bbgid`, `buid`, `wpk`, `sicovam`,
`common`, `bsid`, `svm`, `cins`, `cats`.
Examples: `IBM US Equity`, `/cusip/912828GM6@BGN`, `MSFT@ETPX US Equity`,
`GBPUSD BAAM Curncy`.
## Auth and Permissioning
BLPAPI uses Entitlement IDs (EIDs), the `//blp/apiauth` service, and Identity
Objects to gate access to data. Three deployment-specific authorization models
apply:
- **Server API** — IP-based authorization
- **B-PIPE** — Token-based authorization with separate authentication step
- **Desktop API** — User context derived from the Bloomberg Professional terminal
See section 6 of the Developer''s Guide for details.
'
contact:
name: Bloomberg Production Support
url: https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/support/
license:
name: Permissive (Bloomberg sample license terms)
termsOfService: https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/support/api-library/
servers:
- url: blpapi+session://{session}
description: 'Logical BLPAPI session endpoint. In production, applications open a
`Session` against `Session.Options` configured for Desktop API
(`localhost:8194`), Server API (`<server-host>:8194` with ASID
authentication), or B-PIPE (multiple BPIPE hosts with token authentication).
'
variables:
session:
default: localhost
description: Session identifier — Desktop, Server API ASID, or B-PIPE BPID
security:
- desktopAPI: []
- serverAPI: []
- bpipeToken: []
tags:
- name: apiflds
description: API Field Information Service — discover and search Bloomberg fields
paths:
/apiflds/FieldInfoRequest:
post:
operationId: fieldInfoRequest
tags:
- apiflds
summary: Get field metadata by id (mnemonic or alpha-numeric identifier)
description: 'Returns descriptive information for one or more Bloomberg fields
specified by mnemonic (e.g. `LAST_PRICE`) or alpha-numeric ID
(e.g. `pq005`). Optionally returns documentation.
**BLPAPI service**: `//blp/apiflds`
**Operation**: `FieldInfoRequest`
'
requestBody:
required: true
content:
application/x-blpapi-request:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/FieldInfoRequest'
responses:
'200':
description: FieldResponse
content:
application/x-blpapi-response:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/FieldResponse'
/apiflds/FieldSearchRequest:
post:
operationId: fieldSearchRequest
tags:
- apiflds
summary: Full-text search Bloomberg fields by mnemonic / description
description: 'Returns fields matching a search string, optionally filtered by
category, product type, and field type (Static / Real Time).
**BLPAPI service**: `//blp/apiflds`
**Operation**: `FieldSearchRequest`
'
requestBody:
required: true
content:
application/x-blpapi-request:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/FieldSearchRequest'
responses:
'200':
description: FieldResponse (same shape as FieldInfoRequest)
content:
application/x-blpapi-response:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/FieldResponse'
/apiflds/CategorizedFieldSearchRequest:
post:
operationId: categorizedFieldSearchRequest
tags:
- apiflds
summary: Search Bloomberg fields with results grouped by category tree
description: 'Returns fields matching a search string, with results arranged into
the Bloomberg field-category tree.
**BLPAPI service**: `//blp/apiflds`
**Operation**: `CategorizedFieldSearchRequest`
'
requestBody:
required: true
content:
application/x-blpapi-request:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/CategorizedFieldSearchRequest'
responses:
'200':
description: CategorizedFieldResponse
content:
application/x-blpapi-response:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/CategorizedFieldResponse'
components:
schemas:
CategorizedFieldResponse:
type: object
properties:
category:
type: array
items:
type: object
properties:
categoryName:
type: string
fieldData:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/FieldResponse/properties/fieldData/items'
FieldSearchRequest:
type: object
required:
- searchSpec
properties:
searchSpec:
type: string
description: Search string for field mnemonics / descriptions.
example: last price
include:
type: object
description: Inclusive filter — only fields matching are returned.
properties:
categoryName:
type: array
items:
type: string
productType:
type: array
items:
type: string
fieldType:
type: string
enum:
- Static
- RealTime
- All
exclude:
type: object
description: Exclusive filter — fields matching are removed from results.
properties:
categoryName:
type: array
items:
type: string
productType:
type: array
items:
type: string
fieldType:
type: string
enum:
- Static
- RealTime
- All
CategorizedFieldSearchRequest:
allOf:
- $ref: '#/components/schemas/FieldSearchRequest'
FieldResponse:
type: object
properties:
fieldData:
type: array
items:
type: object
properties:
id:
type: string
description: Bloomberg internal field id
fieldInfo:
type: object
properties:
mnemonic:
type: string
description:
type: string
datatype:
type: string
documentation:
type: string
categoryName:
type: array
items:
type: string
property:
type: array
items:
type: string
overrides:
type: array
items:
type: string
fieldError:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorInfo'
ErrorInfo:
type: object
description: Standard error envelope used in BLPAPI responses.
required:
- source
- code
- category
- message
properties:
source:
type: string
description: Bloomberg internal error source (e.g. `bbdbl1.r1.kgw`).
code:
type: integer
description: Bloomberg internal error code.
category:
type: string
description: General classification of the failure.
examples:
- BAD_SEC
- BAD_FLD
- INVALID_REQUEST
- NO_AUTH
message:
type: string
description: Human-readable description of the failure.
subcategory:
type: string
description: (Optional) more specific classification of the failure.
FieldInfoRequest:
type: object
required:
- id
properties:
id:
type: array
items:
type: string
description: Field mnemonics or alpha-numeric ids.
example:
- LAST_PRICE
- pq005
- ds002
returnFieldDocumentation:
type: boolean
default: false
properties:
type: array
items:
type: string
enum:
- fieldoverridable
securitySchemes:
desktopAPI:
type: apiKey
in: header
name: X-BLPAPI-Session
description: 'Desktop API authorization is handled by the local Bloomberg Professional
terminal. Applications open a session against `localhost:8194` and the
terminal context is the authorization. No token is presented over the wire.
'
serverAPI:
type: apiKey
in: header
name: X-BLPAPI-ASID
description: 'Server API authorization is by ASID and registered IP address.
The application''s IP must be entitled in the Bloomberg Anywhere
permissioning system; an `AuthorizationRequest` with `ipAddress`
validates the user''s identity at that location.
'
bpipeToken:
type: http
scheme: bearer
bearerFormat: BLPAPI-Token
description: 'B-PIPE applications acquire a token via the
`AuthorizationTokenRequest` operation, then submit the token in an
`AuthorizationRequest` to obtain an Identity object. The Identity
object is then attached to subsequent service requests.
'
externalDocs:
description: Bloomberg API Developer's Guide v2.54 (June 30, 2014)
url: https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/support/api-library/