M
API Matrix

Dropbox API

Cloud Storage & File Sharing / OAuth Advanced HTTPS
Varies by plan (check documentation)
63 Score
Grade C
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Overview

Dropbox provides a widely-used REST API for accessing, uploading, and managing files and folders stored in Dropbox accounts, including shared folders and Business team spaces. It uses OAuth 2.0 with granular permission scopes for reading, writing, and sharing content. Official SDKs are available for Python, JavaScript, Java, and more, making integration straightforward.

💡

Beginner Tip

Create a Dropbox app at dropbox.com/developers/apps and choose 'Scoped access'. For personal projects, generate a long-lived access token directly from the App Console to skip building a full OAuth flow while prototyping.

Available Data

Use case: Integrate file sharing and storage data into web and mobile applications
Dropbox data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Requires OAuth authentication

Example Response

JSON Response 
{
  "file_id": "f_abc123",
  "filename": "document.pdf",
  "size_bytes": 1048576,
  "mime_type": "application/pdf",
  "download_url": "https://example.com/files/f_abc123",
  "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
}

Field Reference

.tag Entry type discriminator: 'file', 'folder', or 'deleted'
name Name of the file or folder (just the filename, not the full path)
path_lower Lowercase canonical path of the item within Dropbox
id Stable unique identifier for the item that persists across renames and moves
size File size in bytes; absent for folders
client_modified ISO 8601 timestamp set by the uploading client at the time of upload

Implementation Example 

const url = "https://www.dropbox.com/developers";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
  "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

AuthError: expired_access_token Short-lived access tokens expire after a few hours
✓ Implement the refresh token flow using your app's client_id and client_secret to automatically obtain new access tokens.
path_not_found error in response The specified file or folder path does not exist in the Dropbox account
✓ Always use forward-slash-prefixed absolute paths like /MyFolder/file.txt — relative paths are not supported.
429 Too Many Requests Exceeded rate limits, typically 1000 requests per user per minute
✓ Implement exponential backoff and honor the Retry-After header value returned in the 429 response.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 5/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 3/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth OAuth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Cloud Storage & File Sharing
Difficulty Advanced
Verified: 2026-04-04

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