Getting started

Things to know before making your first API request.

This API is part of a shared digital infrastructure, developed by and for education regions (onderwijsregio’s). It supports prospective teachers and education professionals from orientation through their start in education.

The core system is built on Airtable and functions as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and CRM for regional coordination, data sharing, and reporting. To integrate this infrastructure with regional websites and third-party applications, we provide an API layer that enables external systems to submit data in a structured and secure way.

This documentation is intended for developers building or maintaining integrations with the platform and describes the available endpoints, data models, and integration patterns.

Access and authentication

Access to the API is granted via an API key. For security and governance reasons, API keys are only issued to education regions that participate in the project.

An API key must be requested by an employee of the relevant education region. We do not issue API keys directly to third-party vendors or external developers without involvement and approval from the region itself. Once approved, the region is responsible for managing the API key and coordinating its use with any third-party applications or integration partners.

The API key must be included with each request as described in the authentication section of this documentation.

Why not provide direct access to the Airtable API?

We intentionally do not provide direct access to the underlying Airtable API.

The primary reason is data separation. The Airtable base is shared across multiple education regions, and direct access would make it possible to view or modify data belonging to other regions, which is not acceptable from a privacy and governance perspective.

Additionally, the Airtable setup relies on strict internal conventions and constraints. While Airtable’s flexibility is a strength, it also makes it easy to unintentionally break data structures or workflows. The API layer acts as a controlled abstraction, enforcing validation and business logic to protect data integrity and system stability across all regions.