CiviX Server API

CiviX Server is an electronic library providing free public access to law and bylaw content of British Columbia.

CiviX Server contains a comprehensive collection of BC Provincial legislation, civic bylaw content and related policy and legislative materials. It is available on the internet in two forms:

First: The library is available as a web site in which users can browse and search the laws of British Columbia.

Second: The library is available as a portal to the data that runs the site in raw XML¹ data format, accessible via a RESTFUL API².

This direct access to raw data is intended to enable third parties to build or add their own custom applications based on the structure of the data and all the associated search functionality inherent in that structure. The BC Laws website is an example of one such application.

CiviX Server API

The CiviX Server API specifies how to search and retrieve from the library’s collection in either form: website or XML. Data can be returned formatted for display on another web site, or it can be returned as raw XML data for further processing. Using the API, users can request a list of documents, a specific document, a specific part of a document, a document that contains a search term, a document that contains a search term in a specific part, and more.

The API is updated continually with new features and other changes. If you are interested in working with the CiviX Server API, please sign up for our mailing list to get notifications of new features and other changes.

The CiviX Server API is made available for use under the permissive King’s Printer Licence found here; or the Local Government Bylaw Licence found here. The Licence is dependent on the content you are consuming:

¹  XML — eXtensible Markup Language.

²  API — Application Program Interface.

CiviX Server API — In Detail