GOV.UK Notify Templates API

openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: GOV.UK Notify Notifications Templates API
  description: GOV.UK Notify is a UK government notification service operated by the Government Digital Service (GDS) that enables central government, local authorities, NHS organisations, and other eligible public bodies to send emails, text messages, and letters to citizens on behalf of government services. The API uses JWT-based authentication and supports template-driven personalisation.
  version: 2.0.0
  contact:
    url: https://www.notifications.service.gov.uk/support
  license:
    name: MIT
    url: https://github.com/alphagov/notifications-api/blob/main/LICENSE
  termsOfService: https://www.notifications.service.gov.uk/terms
servers:
- url: https://api.notifications.service.gov.uk
  description: GOV.UK Notify production API
security:
- bearerAuth: []
tags:
- name: Templates
  description: Retrieve and preview notification templates
paths:
  /v2/template/{template_id}:
    get:
      operationId: getTemplate
      summary: Get template by ID
      description: Retrieve the current version of a template by its UUID.
      tags:
      - Templates
      parameters:
      - name: template_id
        in: path
        required: true
        description: UUID of the template
        schema:
          type: string
          format: uuid
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Template details
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Template'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Forbidden'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/NotFound'
        '500':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ServerError'
  /v2/template/{template_id}/version/{version}:
    get:
      operationId: getTemplateVersion
      summary: Get template by ID and version
      description: Retrieve a specific version of a template by its UUID and version number.
      tags:
      - Templates
      parameters:
      - name: template_id
        in: path
        required: true
        description: UUID of the template
        schema:
          type: string
          format: uuid
      - name: version
        in: path
        required: true
        description: Version number of the template
        schema:
          type: integer
          minimum: 1
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Template version details
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Template'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Forbidden'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/NotFound'
        '500':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ServerError'
  /v2/templates:
    get:
      operationId: listTemplates
      summary: List all templates
      description: Retrieve all templates for the service, optionally filtered by type.
      tags:
      - Templates
      parameters:
      - name: type
        in: query
        required: false
        description: Filter templates by type
        schema:
          type: string
          enum:
          - email
          - sms
          - letter
      responses:
        '200':
          description: List of templates
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/TemplateList'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Forbidden'
        '500':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ServerError'
  /v2/template/{template_id}/preview:
    post:
      operationId: previewTemplate
      summary: Generate a template preview
      description: Generate a preview of a template with personalisation values substituted, without sending a real notification.
      tags:
      - Templates
      parameters:
      - name: template_id
        in: path
        required: true
        description: UUID of the template to preview
        schema:
          type: string
          format: uuid
      requestBody:
        required: true
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              $ref: '#/components/schemas/TemplatePreviewRequest'
            example:
              personalisation:
                name: Jane
                appointment_date: 1 January 2024
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Rendered template preview
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/TemplatePreview'
        '400':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/BadRequest'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Forbidden'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/NotFound'
        '500':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ServerError'
components:
  responses:
    Forbidden:
      description: Authentication failed or API key lacks permission
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
          example:
            status_code: 403
            errors:
            - error: AuthError
              message: 'Invalid token: API key not found'
    NotFound:
      description: Requested resource not found
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
          example:
            status_code: 404
            errors:
            - error: NoResultFound
              message: No result found
    BadRequest:
      description: Validation error in request body or parameters
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
          example:
            status_code: 400
            errors:
            - error: ValidationError
              message: phone_number is not a valid phone number
    ServerError:
      description: Internal server error
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
          example:
            status_code: 500
            errors:
            - error: Exception
              message: Internal server error
  schemas:
    ErrorResponse:
      type: object
      properties:
        status_code:
          type: integer
        errors:
          type: array
          items:
            type: object
            properties:
              error:
                type: string
                description: Machine-readable error type
              message:
                type: string
                description: Human-readable error description
    TemplatePreview:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: string
          format: uuid
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
          - email
          - sms
          - letter
        version:
          type: integer
        body:
          type: string
          description: Rendered template body with personalisation applied
        subject:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: Rendered email subject (email templates only)
        html:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: HTML-rendered body (email templates only)
        postage:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: Postage class (letter templates only)
    Template:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: string
          format: uuid
        name:
          type: string
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
          - email
          - sms
          - letter
        created_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
        updated_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          nullable: true
        created_by:
          type: string
          format: email
        version:
          type: integer
        body:
          type: string
          description: Raw template body with placeholder syntax
        subject:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: Email subject line (email templates only)
        letter_contact_block:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: Contact block for letter templates
        postage:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: Default postage class (letter templates only)
        personalisation:
          type: object
          nullable: true
          additionalProperties:
            type: object
            properties:
              required:
                type: boolean
    TemplatePreviewRequest:
      type: object
      required:
      - personalisation
      properties:
        personalisation:
          type: object
          additionalProperties:
            type: string
          description: Key-value pairs to substitute into template placeholders
    TemplateList:
      type: object
      properties:
        templates:
          type: array
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Template'
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      bearerFormat: JWT
      description: JWT token signed with HS256 using the service API key secret. Tokens are short-lived and must include iss (service ID), iat (issued at), and exp (expiry) claims.