PUT/PATCH Operations

The ITSM-NG REST API supports updating existing items using PUT or PATCH methods. Both methods function identically and can update single or multiple items.

Update Item(s)

Update one or more existing items in ITSM-NG.

Endpoint

PUT /apirest.php/:itemtype/:id

PATCH /apirest.php/:itemtype/:id

HTTP Methods

Both PUT and PATCH are supported and behave identically for updates.

Headers

Session-Token

string

required

Session token obtained from initSession

App-Token

string

Optional authorization string from API configuration

Content-Type

string

required

Must be application/json

URL Parameters

integer

The unique identifier of the item to update. Optional if provided in the request body.

Request Body

input

object | array

required

For single item: an object with fields to updateFor multiple items: an array of objects, each containing an id field and the fields to update

Response

boolean

true if update succeeded, false if failed

message

string

Status message or error description

Returns an array of objects with update status for each item.

Response Codes

200 OK - Item(s) updated successfully
207 Multi-Status - Bulk operation with some failures
400 Bad Request - Invalid input parameters
401 Unauthorized - Invalid or missing session token
404 Not Found - Item not found

Update Single Item (URL ID)

Update a single item by specifying the ID in the URL.

Example Request

curl -X PUT \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H "Session-Token: 83af7e620c83a50a18d3eac2f6ed05a3ca0bea62" \
-H "App-Token: f7g3csp8mgatg5ebc5elnazakw20i9fyev1qopya7" \
-d '{"input": {"otherserial": "xcvbn"}}' \
'http://path/to/glpi/apirest.php/Computer/10'

Example Response

[
  {
    "10": true,
    "message": ""
  }
]

Update Single Item (Body ID)

Update a single item by specifying the ID in the request body.

Example Request

curl -X PUT \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H "Session-Token: 83af7e620c83a50a18d3eac2f6ed05a3ca0bea62" \
-H "App-Token: f7g3csp8mgatg5ebc5elnazakw20i9fyev1qopya7" \
-d '{"input": {"id": 11, "otherserial": "abcde"}}' \
'http://path/to/glpi/apirest.php/Computer/'

Example Response

[
  {
    "11": true,
    "message": ""
  }
]

You can omit the ID from the URL and provide it in the input object instead. This is useful when updating multiple items or when building generic update functions.

Update Multiple Items (Bulk)

Update multiple items in a single request.

Example Request

curl -X PUT \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H "Session-Token: 83af7e620c83a50a18d3eac2f6ed05a3ca0bea62" \
-H "App-Token: f7g3csp8mgatg5ebc5elnazakw20i9fyev1qopya7" \
-d '{"input": [
  {"id": 16, "otherserial": "abcde"},
  {"id": 17, "otherserial": "fghij"}
]}' \
'http://path/to/glpi/apirest.php/Computer/'

Example Response

[
  {
    "16": true,
    "message": ""
  },
  {
    "17": false,
    "message": "Item not found"
  }
]

Each object in the input array must include an id field to identify which item to update. Items without an id will fail.

Using PATCH Method

The PATCH method works identically to PUT.

Example Request

curl -X PATCH \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H "Session-Token: 83af7e620c83a50a18d3eac2f6ed05a3ca0bea62" \
-H "App-Token: f7g3csp8mgatg5ebc5elnazakw20i9fyev1qopya7" \
-d '{"input": {"id": 10, "comment": "Updated comment"}}' \
'http://path/to/glpi/apirest.php/Computer/'

Example Response

[
  {
    "10": true,
    "message": ""
  }
]

Special Use Cases

Lost Password Request

Request a password reset for a user account.

Endpoint

PUT /apirest.php/lostPassword/

Requirements

GLPI must have notifications enabled
The email address must belong to an existing user

Request Body

string

required

Email address of the user requesting password reset

Example Request

curl -X PUT \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"email": "user@domain.com"}' \
'http://path/to/glpi/apirest.php/lostPassword'

Example Response

200 OK

Password Reset

Complete the password reset process using a reset token.

Endpoint

PUT /apirest.php/lostPassword/

Request Body

string

required

Email address of the user

password_forget_token

string

required

Reset token received via email

password

string

required

The new password

Example Request

curl -X PUT \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
  "email": "user@domain.com",
  "password_forget_token": "b0a4cfe81448299ebed57442f4f21929c80ebee5",
  "password": "NewPassword"
}' \
'http://path/to/glpi/apirest.php/lostPassword'

Example Response

200 OK

Common Update Fields

Standard Fields

name

string

Update the item name

comment

string

Update comments or description

entities_id

integer

Move item to different entity

is_deleted

boolean

Soft delete/restore the item (use DELETE endpoint for actual deletion)

Asset Fields

serial

string

Update serial number

otherserial

string

Update inventory number

contact

string

Update contact person

locations_id

integer

Update location

states_id

integer

Update state (e.g., move to Production)

users_id_tech

integer

Update technical manager

ITIL Fields

content

string

Update ticket/problem/change content

status

integer

Update status (e.g., close ticket)

priority

integer

Update priority level (1-5)

urgency

integer

Update urgency level (1-5)

impact

integer

Update impact level (1-5)

Partial vs. Full Updates

The API supports partial updates - you only need to include fields you want to change.

Partial Update Example

Update only the serial number:

{
  "input": {
    "id": 10,
    "serial": "NEW-SERIAL-123"
  }
}

All other fields remain unchanged.

Full Update Example

Update multiple fields:

{
  "input": {
    "id": 10,
    "serial": "NEW-SERIAL-123",
    "otherserial": "INV-456",
    "locations_id": 5,
    "states_id": 1,
    "comment": "Updated via API"
  }
}

Error Handling

Common Errors

ERROR_GLPI_UPDATE

error

Unable to update the item. Check GLPI logs for details.

ERROR_GLPI_PARTIAL_UPDATE

error

Some items in bulk operation failed. Check the response array for individual results.

ERROR_ITEM_NOT_FOUND

error

The specified item ID does not exist.

ERROR_RIGHT_MISSING

error

User lacks permission to update items of this type.

Validation Errors

Updates may fail due to:

Invalid foreign keys: Referenced IDs must exist
Business rules: Some fields have constraints (e.g., can’t reopen closed tickets)
Locked items: Items locked by another process
Permission issues: User profile must have update rights

Best Practices

ID Precedence: When both URL ID and body ID are provided, the URL ID takes precedence. For consistency, choose one approach.

Bulk Updates: Use bulk updates instead of individual requests when updating multiple items to reduce API calls.

Optimistic Locking: Consider implementing optimistic locking by checking date_mod before updates to prevent overwriting concurrent changes.

Session Write Mode: Update operations require write access to the session. The API automatically enables write mode for PUT/PATCH operations.

Audit Trail: All updates are logged in GLPI’s history unless you explicitly disable it with the history parameter.

Field Omission: Fields not included in the input object are not modified. There’s no need to send the complete object.

Getting Started

Session Management

Resources

CRUD Operations

​Update Item(s)

​Endpoint

​HTTP Methods

​Headers

​URL Parameters

​Request Body

​Response

​Response Codes

​Update Single Item (URL ID)

​Example Request

​Example Response

​Update Single Item (Body ID)

​Example Request

​Example Response

​Update Multiple Items (Bulk)

​Example Request

​Example Response

​Using PATCH Method

​Example Request

​Example Response

​Special Use Cases

​Lost Password Request

​Endpoint

​Requirements

​Request Body

​Example Request

​Example Response

​Password Reset

​Endpoint

​Request Body

​Example Request

​Example Response

​Common Update Fields

​Standard Fields

​Asset Fields

​ITIL Fields

​Partial vs. Full Updates

​Partial Update Example

​Full Update Example

​Error Handling

​Common Errors

​Validation Errors

​Best Practices

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Update Item(s)

Endpoint

HTTP Methods

Headers

URL Parameters

Request Body

Response

Response Codes

Update Single Item (URL ID)

Example Request

Example Response

Update Single Item (Body ID)

Example Request

Example Response

Update Multiple Items (Bulk)

Example Request

Example Response

Using PATCH Method

Example Request

Example Response

Special Use Cases

Lost Password Request

Endpoint

Requirements

Request Body

Example Request

Example Response

Password Reset

Endpoint

Request Body

Example Request

Example Response

Common Update Fields

Standard Fields

Asset Fields

ITIL Fields

Partial vs. Full Updates

Partial Update Example

Full Update Example

Error Handling

Common Errors

Validation Errors

Best Practices