Build Zoom REST API App

/build-zoom-rest-api-app

Background reference for deterministic server-side Zoom automation and resource management. Prefer plan-zoom-product, plan-zoom-integration, or debug-zoom first, then route here for endpoint-level detail.

Zoom REST API

Expert guidance for building server-side integrations with the Zoom REST API. This API provides 600+ endpoints for managing meetings, users, webinars, recordings, reports, and all Zoom platform resources programmatically.

Official Documentation: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/ API Hub Reference: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/meetings/ OpenAPI Inventories: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/<domain>/methods/endpoints.json

Quick Links

New to Zoom REST API? Follow this path:

1. API Architecture - Base URLs, regional URLs, me keyword, ID vs UUID, time formats
2. Authentication Flows - OAuth setup (S2S, User, PKCE, Device Code)
3. Meeting URLs vs Meeting SDK - Stop mixing join_url with Meeting SDK
4. Meeting Lifecycle - Create → Update → Start → End → Delete with webhooks
5. Rate Limiting Strategy - Plan tiers, per-user limits, retry patterns

Reference:

• Meetings - Meeting CRUD, types, settings
• Users - User provisioning and management
• Recordings - Cloud recording access and download
• AI Services - Scribe, Summarizer, and Translator endpoint inventory and current AI Services path surface
• GraphQL Queries - Alternative query API (beta)
• Integrated Index - see the section below in this file

Most domain files under references/ are aligned to the official API Hub endpoints.json inventories. Treat those files as the local source of truth for method/path discovery.

Having issues?

• Start with preflight checks → 5-Minute Runbook
• 401 Unauthorized → Authentication Flows (check token expiry, scopes)
• 429 Too Many Requests → Rate Limiting Strategy
• Error codes → Common Errors
• Pagination confusion → Common Issues
• Webhooks not arriving → Webhook Server
• Forum-derived FAQs → Forum Top Questions
• Token/scope failures → Token + Scope Playbook

Building event-driven integrations?

• Webhook Server - Express.js server with CRC validation
• Recording Pipeline - Auto-download via webhook events

Quick Start

Get an Access Token (Server-to-Server OAuth)

curl -X POST "https://zoom.us/oauth/token" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $(echo -n 'CLIENT_ID:CLIENT_SECRET' | base64)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "grant_type=account_credentials&account_id=ACCOUNT_ID"

Response:

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9...",
  "token_type": "bearer",
  "expires_in": 3600,
  "scope": "meeting:read meeting:write user:read"
}

Create a Meeting

curl -X POST "https://api.zoom.us/v2/users/HOST_USER_ID/meetings" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "topic": "Team Standup",
    "type": 2,
    "start_time": "2025-03-15T10:00:00Z",
    "duration": 30,
    "settings": {
      "join_before_host": false,
      "waiting_room": true
    }
  }'

For S2S OAuth, use an explicit host user ID or email in the path. Do not use me.

List Users with Pagination

curl "https://api.zoom.us/v2/users?page_size=300&status=active" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN"

Base URL

https://api.zoom.us/v2

Regional Base URLs

The api_url field in OAuth token responses indicates the user's region. Use regional URLs for data residency compliance:

Note: You can always use the global URL https://api.zoom.us regardless of the api_url value.

Key Features

Prerequisites

• Zoom account (Free tier has API access with lower rate limits)
• App registered on Zoom App Marketplace
• OAuth credentials (Server-to-Server OAuth or User OAuth)
• Appropriate scopes for target endpoints

Need to create or validate the app first? Use Marketplace app management before implementing REST calls. It covers General App manifests, S2S rollout quirks, app-owned client_credentials scopes, event subscription setup, credential response shapes, and the requirement to manually create a first bootstrap app before the app-creation API can authorize creation of later apps. For automation, select from the machine-readable Marketplace template index and follow the manifest update workflow when changing an existing General App.

Need help with authentication? See the zoom-oauth skill for complete OAuth flow implementation.

Critical Gotchas and Best Practices

⚠️ JWT App Type is Deprecated

The JWT app type is deprecated. Migrate to Server-to-Server OAuth. This does NOT affect JWT token signatures used in Video SDK — only the Marketplace "JWT" app type for REST API access.

// OLD (JWT app type - DEPRECATED)
const token = jwt.sign({ iss: apiKey, exp: expiry }, apiSecret);

// NEW (Server-to-Server OAuth)
const token = await getServerToServerToken(accountId, clientId, clientSecret);

⚠️ The me Keyword Rules

• User-level OAuth apps: MUST use me instead of userId (otherwise: invalid token error)
• Server-to-Server OAuth apps: MUST NOT use me — provide the actual userId or email
• Account-level OAuth apps: Can use either me or userId

⚠️ Meeting ID vs UUID — Double Encoding

UUIDs that begin with / or contain // must be double URL-encoded:

// UUID: /abc==
// Single encode: %2Fabc%3D%3D
// Double encode: %252Fabc%253D%253D  ← USE THIS

const uuid = '/abc==';
const encoded = encodeURIComponent(encodeURIComponent(uuid));
const url = `https://api.zoom.us/v2/meetings/${encoded}`;

⚠️ Time Formats

• yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ — UTC time (note the Z suffix)
• yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss — Local time (no Z, uses timezone field)
• Some report APIs only accept UTC. Check the API reference for each endpoint.

⚠️ Rate Limits Are Per-Account, Not Per-App

All apps on the same Zoom account share rate limits. One heavy app can impact others. Monitor X-RateLimit-Remaining headers proactively.

⚠️ Per-User Daily Limits

Meeting/Webinar create/update operations are limited to 100 per day per user (resets at 00:00 UTC). Distribute operations across different host users when doing bulk operations.

⚠️ Download URLs Require Auth and Follow Redirects

Recording download_url values require Bearer token authentication and may redirect. Always follow redirects:

curl -L -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN" "https://zoom.us/rec/download/..."

Use Webhooks Instead of Polling

// DON'T: Poll every minute (wastes API quota)
setInterval(() => getMeetings(), 60000);

// DO: Receive webhook events in real-time
app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  if (req.body.event === 'meeting.started') {
    handleMeetingStarted(req.body.payload);
  }
  res.status(200).send();
});

Webhook setup details: See the zoom-webhooks skill for comprehensive webhook implementation.

Complete Documentation Library

This skill includes comprehensive guides organized by category:

Core Concepts

• API Architecture - REST design, base URLs, regional routing, me keyword, ID vs UUID, time formats
• Authentication Flows - All OAuth flows (S2S, User, PKCE, Device Code)
• Rate Limiting Strategy - Limits by plan, retry patterns, request queuing

Complete Examples

• Meeting Lifecycle - Full Create → Update → Start → End → Delete flow with webhook events
• User Management - CRUD users, list with pagination, bulk operations
• Recording Pipeline - Download recordings via webhooks + API
• Webhook Server - Express.js server with CRC validation and signature verification
• GraphQL Queries - GraphQL queries, mutations, cursor pagination

Troubleshooting

• Common Errors - HTTP status codes, Zoom error codes, error response formats
• Common Issues - Rate limits, token refresh, pagination pitfalls, gotchas

References (39 files covering all Zoom API domains)

Core APIs

• references/meetings.md - Meeting CRUD, types, settings
• references/users.md - User provisioning, types, scopes
• references/webinars.md - Webinar management, registrants
• references/recordings.md - Cloud recording access
• references/reports.md - Usage reports, analytics
• references/accounts.md - Account management

Communication

• references/team-chat.md - Team Chat messaging
• references/chatbot.md - Interactive chatbots
• references/phone.md - Zoom Phone
• references/mail.md - Zoom Mail
• references/calendar.md - Zoom Calendar

Infrastructure

• references/rooms.md - Zoom Rooms
• references/scim2.md - SCIM 2.0 provisioning APIs
• references/rate-limits.md - Rate limit details
• references/qss.md - Quality of Service Subscription

Advanced

• references/graphql.md - GraphQL API (beta)
• references/ai-companion.md - AI features
• references/authentication.md - Auth reference
• references/openapi.md - OpenAPI specs, Postman, code generation

Additional API Domains

• references/events.md - Events and event platform APIs
• references/scheduler.md - Zoom Scheduler APIs
• references/tasks.md - Tasks APIs
• references/whiteboard.md - Whiteboard APIs
• references/video-management.md - Video management APIs
• references/video-sdk-api.md - Video SDK REST APIs
• references/marketplace-apps.md - Marketplace app management
• references/marketplace-app-templates.md - Select and customize POST-ready Marketplace app templates by scenario
• references/marketplace-manifest-update-workflow.md - Full-replacement updates for existing General App manifests
• assets/marketplace-apps/marketplace-manifest-template-index.json - Machine-readable app-type and template compatibility catalog
• references/commerce.md - Commerce and billing APIs
• references/contact-center.md - Contact Center APIs
• references/quality-management.md - Quality management APIs
• references/workforce-management.md - Workforce management APIs
• references/healthcare.md - Healthcare APIs
• references/auto-dialer.md - Auto dialer APIs
• references/number-management.md - Number management APIs
• references/revenue-accelerator.md - Revenue Accelerator APIs
• references/virtual-agent.md - Virtual Agent APIs
• references/cobrowse-sdk-api.md - Cobrowse SDK APIs
• references/crc.md - Cloud Room Connector APIs
• references/clips.md - Clips APIs
• references/zoom-docs.md - Zoom docs and source references

Sample Repositories

Official (by Zoom)

Resources

• API Reference: https://developers.zoom.us/api-hub/
• GraphQL Playground: https://nws.zoom.us/graphql/playground
• Postman Collection: https://marketplace.zoom.us/docs/api-reference/postman
• Developer Forum: https://devforum.zoom.us/
• Changelog: https://developers.zoom.us/changelog/
• Status Page: https://status.zoom.us/

Need help? Start with Integrated Index section below for complete navigation.

Integrated Index

This section was migrated from SKILL.md.

Quick Start Path

If you're new to the Zoom REST API, follow this order:

1. Run preflight checks first → RUNBOOK.md

2. Understand the API design → concepts/api-architecture.md

   • Base URLs, regional endpoints, me keyword rules
   • Meeting ID vs UUID, double-encoding, time formats

3. Set up authentication → concepts/authentication-flows.md

   • Server-to-Server OAuth (backend automation)
   • User OAuth with PKCE (user-facing apps)
   • Cross-reference: zoom-oauth

4. Create your first meeting → examples/meeting-lifecycle.md

   • Full CRUD with curl and Node.js examples
   • Webhook event integration

5. Handle rate limits → concepts/rate-limiting-strategy.md

   • Plan-based limits, retry patterns, request queuing

6. Set up webhooks → examples/webhook-server.md

   • CRC validation, signature verification, event handling

7. Troubleshoot issues → troubleshooting/common-issues.md

   • Token refresh, pagination pitfalls, common gotchas

Documentation Structure

rest-api/
├── SKILL.md                              # Main skill overview + quick start
├── SKILL.md                              # This file - navigation guide
│
├── concepts/                             # Core architectural concepts
│   ├── api-architecture.md              # REST design, URLs, IDs, time formats
│   ├── authentication-flows.md          # OAuth flows (S2S, User, PKCE, Device)
│   └── rate-limiting-strategy.md        # Limits by plan, retry, queuing
│
├── examples/                             # Complete working code
│   ├── meeting-lifecycle.md             # Create→Update→Start→End→Delete
│   ├── user-management.md              # CRUD users, pagination, bulk ops
│   ├── recording-pipeline.md           # Download recordings via webhooks
│   ├── webhook-server.md               # Express.js CRC + signature verification
│   └── graphql-queries.md              # GraphQL queries, mutations, pagination
│
├── troubleshooting/                      # Problem solving
│   ├── common-errors.md                # HTTP codes, Zoom error codes table
│   └── common-issues.md               # Rate limits, tokens, pagination pitfalls
│
└── references/                           # 39 domain-specific reference files
    ├── authentication.md                # Auth methods reference
    ├── meetings.md                      # Meeting endpoints
    ├── users.md                         # User management endpoints
    ├── webinars.md                      # Webinar endpoints
    ├── recordings.md                    # Cloud recording endpoints
    ├── reports.md                       # Reports & analytics
    ├── accounts.md                      # Account management
    ├── rate-limits.md                   # Rate limit details
    ├── graphql.md                       # GraphQL API (beta)
    ├── zoom-team-chat.md                     # Team Chat messaging
    ├── chatbot.md                       # Chatbot integration
    ├── phone.md                         # Zoom Phone
    ├── rooms.md                         # Zoom Rooms
    ├── calendar.md                      # Zoom Calendar
    ├── mail.md                          # Zoom Mail
    ├── ai-companion.md                  # AI features
    ├── openapi.md                       # OpenAPI specs
    ├── qss.md                           # Quality of Service
    ├── contact-center.md                # Contact Center
    ├── events.md                        # Zoom Events
    ├── whiteboard.md                    # Whiteboard
    ├── clips.md                         # Zoom Clips
    ├── scheduler.md                     # Scheduler
    ├── scim2.md                         # SCIM 2.0
    ├── marketplace-apps.md              # App management
    ├── zoom-video-sdk-api.md                 # Video SDK REST
    └── ... (39 total files)

By Use Case

I want to create and manage meetings

1. API Architecture - Base URL, time formats
2. Meeting Lifecycle - Full CRUD + webhook events
3. Meetings Reference - All endpoints, types, settings

I want to manage users programmatically

1. User Management - CRUD, pagination, bulk ops
2. Users Reference - Endpoints, user types, scopes

I want to download recordings automatically

1. Recording Pipeline - Webhook-triggered downloads
2. Recordings Reference - File types, download auth

I want to receive real-time events

1. Webhook Server - CRC validation, signature check
2. Cross-reference: zoom-webhooks for comprehensive webhook docs
3. Cross-reference: zoom-websockets for WebSocket events

I want to use GraphQL instead of REST

1. GraphQL Queries - Queries, mutations, pagination
2. GraphQL Reference - Available entities, scopes, rate limits

I want to set up authentication

1. Authentication Flows - All OAuth methods
2. Cross-reference: zoom-oauth for full OAuth implementation

I'm hitting rate limits

1. Rate Limiting Strategy - Limits by plan, strategies
2. Rate Limits Reference - Detailed tables
3. Common Issues - Practical solutions

I'm getting errors

1. Common Errors - Error code tables
2. Common Issues - Diagnostic workflow

I want to build webinars

1. Webinars Reference - Endpoints, types, registrants
2. Meeting Lifecycle - Similar patterns apply

I want to integrate Zoom Phone

1. Phone Reference - Phone API endpoints
2. Rate Limiting Strategy - Separate Phone rate limits

Most Critical Documents

1. API Architecture (FOUNDATION)

concepts/api-architecture.md

Essential knowledge before making any API call:

• Base URLs and regional endpoints
• The me keyword rules (different per app type!)
• Meeting ID vs UUID double-encoding
• ISO 8601 time formats (UTC vs local)
• Download URL authentication

2. Rate Limiting Strategy (MOST COMMON PRODUCTION ISSUE)

concepts/rate-limiting-strategy.md

Rate limits are per-account, shared across all apps:

• Free: 4/sec Light, 2/sec Medium, 1/sec Heavy
• Pro: 30/sec Light, 20/sec Medium, 10/sec Heavy
• Business+: 80/sec Light, 60/sec Medium, 40/sec Heavy
• Per-user: 100 meeting create/update per day

3. Meeting Lifecycle (MOST COMMON TASK)

examples/meeting-lifecycle.md

Complete CRUD with webhook integration — the pattern most developers need first.

Key Learnings

Critical Discoveries:

1. JWT app type is deprecated — use Server-to-Server OAuth

   • The JWT app type on Marketplace is deprecated, NOT JWT token signatures
   • See: Authentication Flows

2. me keyword behaves differently by app type

   • User OAuth: MUST use me
   • S2S OAuth: MUST NOT use me
   • See: API Architecture

3. Rate limiting is nuanced (don’t assume a single global rule)

   • Limits can vary by endpoint and may be enforced at account/app/user levels
   • Treat quotas as potentially shared across your account and implement backoff
   • Monitor rate limit response headers (for example X-RateLimit-Remaining)
   • See: Rate Limiting Strategy

4. 100 meeting creates per user per day

   • This is a hard per-user limit, not related to rate limits
   • Distribute across host users for bulk operations
   • See: Rate Limiting Strategy

5. UUID double-encoding is required for certain UUIDs

   • UUIDs starting with / or containing // must be double-encoded
   • See: API Architecture

6. Pagination: use next_page_token, not page_number

   • page_number is legacy and being phased out
   • next_page_token is the recommended approach
   • See: Common Issues

7. GraphQL is at /v3/graphql, not /v2/

   • Single endpoint, cursor-based pagination
   • Rate limits apply per-field (each field = one REST equivalent)
   • See: GraphQL Queries

Quick Reference

"401 Unauthorized"

→ Authentication Flows - Token expired or wrong scopes

"429 Too Many Requests"

→ Rate Limiting Strategy - Check headers for reset time

"Invalid token" when using userId

→ API Architecture - User OAuth apps must use me

"How do I paginate results?"

→ Common Issues - Use next_page_token

"Webhooks not arriving"

→ Webhook Server - CRC validation required

"Recording download fails"

→ Recording Pipeline - Bearer auth + follow redirects

"How do I create a meeting?"

→ Meeting Lifecycle - Full working examples

Related Skills

Based on Zoom REST API v2 (current) and GraphQL v3 (beta)

Environment Variables

• See references/environment-variables.md for standardized .env keys and where to find each value.