Understanding the Data Endpoints

Available Endpoints

Your curriculum automatically provides four machine-readable endpoints. No configuration needed—they work out of the box.

Endpoint	Format	Purpose
/api/curriculum.json	JSON	Full curriculum data for applications
/api/manifest.json	JSON-LD	Schema.org structured data
/feed.xml	RSS 2.0	Feed reader subscriptions
/sitemap.xml	XML	Search engine indexing

All endpoints are publicly accessible and support CORS (for JSON endpoints), meaning external applications can fetch them directly from browsers.

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The Curriculum JSON API

This is the primary endpoint for programmatic access. It returns everything about your curriculum in a structured format.

Basic Request

curl https://yoursite.netlify.app/api/curriculum.json

Response Structure

{
  "$schema": "https://yoursite.netlify.app/api/schema.json",
  "version": "1.0",
  "generated": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "site": {
    "name": "My Curriculum",
    "url": "https://yoursite.netlify.app",
    "description": "A self-directed learning path"
  },
  "stats": {
    "totalClusters": 5,
    "totalLessons": 23
  },
  "clusters": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "title": "Getting Started",
      "slug": "getting-started",
      "description": "...",
      "url": "https://yoursite.netlify.app/curriculum/getting-started",
      "lessons": [
        {
          "id": "1-1",
          "title": "Welcome",
          "slug": "welcome",
          "description": "...",
          "url": "https://yoursite.netlify.app/curriculum/getting-started/welcome"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Query Parameters

Parameter	Default	Description
cluster	(all)	Filter to a specific cluster by slug
urls	true	Set to false to omit URL fields
content	false	Set to true to include full lesson content

Examples:

Filter to a specific cluster:

curl "https://yoursite.netlify.app/api/curriculum.json?cluster=getting-started"

Omit URLs for a smaller payload:

curl "https://yoursite.netlify.app/api/curriculum.json?urls=false"

Include full content (for AI agents and content syndication):

curl "https://yoursite.netlify.app/api/curriculum.json?content=true"

With ?content=true, each lesson includes:

• objectives — Learning objectives array
• key_concepts — Concepts with explanations (HTML)
• assignment — Assignment instructions (HTML)
• knowledge_check — Quiz questions
• additional_resources — External links
• content — Full lesson body (HTML)

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RSS Feed

The RSS feed makes your curriculum subscribable. When you add new lessons, subscribers get notified.

Feed URL

https://yoursite.netlify.app/feed.xml

What's Included

• Clusters appear as items with category "Cluster"
• Lessons appear as items categorized by their cluster name
• Authors are included when specified in lesson frontmatter
• Full content via <content:encoded> — the complete lesson body as HTML

The content:encoded tag means RSS readers and AI agents can access the full text of each lesson, not just summaries.

Using the Feed

Add the feed URL to any RSS reader:

• Feedly: Paste the URL in the search/add bar
• NetNewsWire: File → New Feed → paste URL
• Inoreader: Click the + button, paste URL

You can also use the feed with automation tools like Zapier or IFTTT to trigger actions when new content is published.

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Sitemap

The sitemap helps search engines discover all your content efficiently.

Sitemap URL

https://yoursite.netlify.app/sitemap.xml

Structure

Pages are prioritized:

• Home page: 1.0 (highest)
• Curriculum index: 0.9
• About page: 0.8
• Cluster pages: 0.8
• Lesson pages: 0.7

Change frequency hints:

• Static pages: monthly
• Cluster pages: weekly
• Lesson pages: monthly

Search Console

For faster indexing, submit your sitemap to Google Search Console:

1. Go to search.google.com/search-console
2. Add and verify your site
3. Go to Sitemaps → Add sitemap → enter sitemap.xml

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Schema.org Manifest

This endpoint provides rich structured data that search engines and AI systems understand semantically.

Manifest URL

https://yoursite.netlify.app/api/manifest.json

Schema Structure

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Course",
  "name": "My Curriculum",
  "description": "...",
  "hasCourseInstance": [
    {
      "@type": "CourseInstance",
      "name": "Getting Started",
      "teaches": [
        {
          "@type": "LearningResource",
          "name": "Welcome",
          "url": "..."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "_links": {
    "curriculum": "https://.../api/curriculum.json",
    "feed": "https://.../feed.xml",
    "sitemap": "https://.../sitemap.xml"
  }
}

The _links section provides discovery—any system that finds the manifest can discover all other endpoints.

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CORS and Caching

Cross-Origin Access

The JSON endpoints include CORS headers:

Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *

This means JavaScript running on any domain can fetch your curriculum data. Useful for embedding widgets or building external tools.

Caching

All endpoints return a 1-hour cache header:

Cache-Control: max-age=3600

This balances freshness with performance. After editing content, it may take up to an hour for cached responses to update.

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Next Steps

Now that you understand what's available, the next lesson explores practical use cases: feeding content to AI agents, building custom dashboards, and automating workflows.