Starting the REST API

This topic provides a brief tutorial to help you get started with the HCL OneDB™ REST API.

To start the HCL OneDB REST API:

Create a REST configuration file. You can refer to the $INFORMIXDIR/etc/onedb-rest-config-example.yaml file as an example.
The REST configuration file must contain a onedb.servers property which defines one or more HCL OneDB for the REST API to connect to. All other configuration properties are optional.
Sample configuration file
```
# REST port number
port: 8080

# List of database servers that the REST API can connect to 
onedb.servers:
  - 
    alias: server1
    host: host1.mycompany.com
    port: 9088
  -
    alias: server2
    host: host2.mycompany.com
    port: 9088
              
# Optional, but recommended, properties to enable HTTPS
tls.enable: true
tls.keystore.type: pkcs12
tls.keystore.file: rest-keystore.pkcs12
tls.keystore.password: myPassword

# Optional, but recommended, property to enable anti-CSRF tokens
security.csrf.token.enable: true
```
Important: The onedb.servers property is required. This specifies the alias, host, and port number for the databases servers that HTTP clients will be able to access through the REST API.

Important: In addition to onedb.servers, it is recommended that you configure the TLS (HTTPS) and anti-CSRF configuration properties in order to secure your REST API when running it in a production environment. See the Securing the REST API topic for more information on how to properly secure your REST API server.
Start the REST server using the following Java™ command:
```
java -jar $INFORMIXDIR/bin/onedb-rest.jar -config rest-config.yaml
```
where rest-config.yaml is the name of your REST configuration file.
Important: The REST server requires Java 11 or higher.
By default, the REST server will write its logging information to a file named onedb-rest.log.