esphome-docs/components/api.rst

Native API Component
====================

.. seo::
    :description: Instructions for setting up the native ESPHome API for communication with Home Assistant.
    :image: server-network.png
    :keywords: Native API, ESPHome, Home Assistant

The ESPHome native API is used to communicate with clients directly, with a highly-optimized
network protocol. Currently, only the esphome tool and Home Assistant use this native API.

After adding an ``api:`` line to your esphome configuration you can go to the Home Assistant
webinterface and navigate to the "Integrations" screen in the "Configuration" panel. Then wait
for the ESPHome device to show up under the discovered section (can take up to 5 minutes) or add
the device manually by clicking "CONFIGURE" on the ESPHome integration and entering
"<NODE_NAME>.local" as the address.

The ESPHome native API is based on a custom TCP protocol using protocol buffers. You can find
the protocol data structure definitions here: https://github.com/esphome/esphome-core/blob/dev/src/esphome/api/api.proto.
A python library that implements this protocol can be found `here <https://github.com/esphome/aioesphomeapi>`__.

.. code-block:: yaml

    # Example configuration entry
    api:
      password: 'MyPassword'

Configuration variables:
------------------------

- **port** (*Optional*, integer): The port to run the API Server on. Defaults to ``6053``.
- **password** (*Optional*, string): The password to protect the API Server with. Defaults to no password.
- **services** (*Optional*, list): A list of user-defined services. See :ref:`api-services`.
- **reboot_timeout** (*Optional*, :ref:`time <config-time>`): The amount of time to wait before rebooting when no
  client connects to the API. This is needed because sometimes the low level ESP functions report that
  the ESP is connected to the network, when in fact it is not - only a full reboot fixes it.
  Can be disabled by setting this to ``0s``. Defaults to ``5min``.
- **id** (*Optional*, :ref:`config-id`): Manually specify the ID used for code generation.

.. _api-mqtt_to_native:

Migrating from MQTT to Native API Setup in Home Assistant
---------------------------------------------------------

The native API is the best way to use ESPHome together with Home Assistant - it's fast,
highly efficient and requires almost zero setup (whereas MQTT requires you to set up an MQTT broker first).

If you've previously used ESPHome with Home Assistant via MQTT and have enabled MQTT discovery,
the upgrade process is unfortunately not just swapping out the ``mqtt`` for ``api`` in your configuration:
Home Assistant's `entity registry <https://developers.home-assistant.io/docs/en/entity_registry_index.html>`__ complicates
things a bit. If you don't follow these steps, all your new native API entities will have a trailing
``_2`` at the end of the entity ID.

You can repeat these steps for all your nodes, or convert them over to the new native API one by one.

1. Disable MQTT discovery on ESP side. In your ESPHome configuration, set a special "clean" discovery flag:

  .. code-block:: yaml

      # In your ESPHome configuration! Not HA config!
      mqtt:
        # Other settings ...
        discovery: clean

2. Compile and upload this new firmware. All entities should now be gone from Home Assistant.

3. Go to your Home Assistant configuration folder and go to the ``.storage`` folder (might be hidden
   depending on your operating system). In there you will find a file called ``core.entity_registry`` - open
   the file with a text editor and paste the contents below


   .. raw:: html

       <textarea rows="10" cols="50" id="entity-reg-converter"></textarea>
       <button type="button" id="entity-reg-button">Convert Entity Registry</button>
       <script>
         var elem = document.getElementById("entity-reg-converter");
         elem.addEventListener("click", function() {
           elem.focus();
           elem.select();
         });
         document.getElementById("entity-reg-button").addEventListener("click", function() {
           try {
             data = JSON.parse(elem.value);
           } catch(e) {
             alert(e);
           }
           var entities = data.data.entities;
           var newEntities = [];
           for (var i = 0; i < entities.length; i++) {
             var entity = entities[i];
             if (entity.platform != "mqtt") {
               newEntities.push(entity);
             }
           }
           data.data.entities = newEntities;
           elem.value = JSON.stringify(data, null, 4);
         });
       </script>

4. Stop Home Assistant - this is necessary for the entity registry changes not to become overriden.

5. Convert the Entity Registry file above using the "Convert Entity Registry Button", and
   override the ``.storage/core.entity_registry`` file with the new contents.

6. Start Home Assistant.

7. Now you can enable the ESPHome native API (and upload the new firmware)

  .. code-block:: yaml

      # Example configuration entry
      api:

8. In Home Assistant, go to "Configuration" -> "Integrations" - if you've set up the ``discovery:`` component,
   you'll already see the ESP as a suggestion to be configured. But if you're having issues with that, you can
   always manually set up an ESPHome device using "Set up a new integration" -> "ESPHome".

9. Now you can remove ``mqtt:`` from your ESPHome configuration. You don't have to, but doing so will
   free up resources (of which these ESPs don't have too much).

.. _api-homeassistant_service_action:

``homeassistant.service`` Action
--------------------------------

When using the native API with Home Assistant, you can create Home Assistant service
calls straight from ESPHome :ref:`Automations <automation>`.

.. code-block:: yaml

    # In some trigger
    on_...:
      # Simple
      - homeassistant.service:
          service: notify.html5
          data:
            title: Button was pressed
      # With templates and variables
      - homeassistant.service:
          service: notify.html5
          data:
            title: New Humidity
          data_template:
            message: The humidity is {{ my_variable }}%.
          variables:
            my_variable: |-
              return id(my_sensor).state;

Configuration options:

- **service** (**Required**, string): The Home Assistant `Service <https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/scripts/service-calls/>`__
  to call.
- **data** (*Optional*, mapping): Optional *static* data to pass along with the service call.
- **data_template** (*Optional*, mapping): Optional template data to pass along with the service call.
  This is evaluated on the Home Assistant side with Home Assistant's templating engine.
- **variables** (*Optional*, mapping): Optional variables that can be used in the ``data_template``.
  Values are :ref:`lambdas <config-lambda>` and will be evaluated before sending the request.


.. _api-services:

User-defined Services
---------------------

It is also possible to get data from Home Assistant to ESPHome with user-defined services.
When you declare services in your ESPHome YAML file, they will automatically show up in
Home Assistant and you can call them directly.

.. code-block:: yaml

    # Example configuration entry
    api:
      services:
        - service: start_laundry
          then:
            - switch.turn_on: relay
            - delay: 3h
            - switch.turn_off: relay

For example with the configuration seen above, after uploading you will see a service
called ``esphome.livingroom_start_laundry`` (livingroom is the node name) which you can
then call.

Additionally, you can also transmit data from Home Assistant to ESPHome with this method:

.. code-block:: yaml

    # Example configuration entry
    api:
      services:
        - service: start_effect
          variables:
            my_brightness: int
            my_effect: string
          then:
            - light.turn_on:
                id: my_light
                brightness: !lambda 'return my_brightness;'
                my_effect: !lambda 'return my_effect;'

Using the ``variables`` key you can tell ESPHome which variables to expect from Home Assistant.
For example the service seen above would be executed with something like this:

.. code-block:: yaml

    # Example Home Assistant Service Call
    service: esphome.livingroom_start_effect
    data_template:
      my_brightness: "{{ states.brightness.state }}"
      my_effect: "Rainbow"

Then each variable you define in the ``variables`` section is accessible in the automation
triggered by the user-defined service through the name you gave it in the variables section
(note: this is a local variable, so do not wrap it in ``id(...)`` to access it).

There are currently 4 types of variables:

- bool: A boolean (ON/OFF). C++ type: ``bool``
- int: An integer. C++ type: ``int``/``int32_t``
- float: A floating point number. C++ type: ``float``
- string: A string. C++ type: ``std::string``


Advantages over MQTT
--------------------

The ESPHome native API has many advantages over using MQTT for communication with Home
Automation software (currently only Home Assistant). But MQTT is a great protocol and will
never be removed. Features of native API (vs. MQTT):

- **Much more efficient:** ESPHome encodes all messages in a highly optimized format with
  protocol buffers - for example binary sensor state messages are about 1/10 of the size.
- **One-click configuration:** ESPHome just needs one click to set up in Home Assistant -
  no more messing around with retained MQTT discovery messages and alike.
- **One less single point of failure:** In the ESPHome native API each ESP is its own server.
  With MQTT, when the broker shuts off nothing can communicate anymore.
- **Stability:** Since ESPHome has far more control over the protocol than with MQTT,
  it's really easy for us to roll out stability improvements.
- **Low Latency:** The native API is optimized for very low latency, usually this is only
  a couple of milliseconds and far less than can be noticed by the eye.

See Also
--------

- :apiref:`api/api_server.h`
- :ghedit:`Edit`

.. disqus::