Dropbox API

Manage files and folders in Dropbox using the HTTP API v2.

Official docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation

When to Use

List files and folders
Upload and download files
Search for files by name or content
Create and delete folders
Move, copy, and rename files
Get file metadata and sharing links

Core APIs

Get Current Account

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/users/get_current_account" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" | jq '{account_id, name: .name.display_name, email}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#users-get_current_account

List Folder

List files and folders at a given path. Use "" for root.

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "",
  "recursive": false,
  "limit": 50
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/list_folder" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.entries[] | {name, path_display, ".tag", size, server_modified}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#files-list_folder

List Folder (subfolder)

Replace <folder-path> with the actual path (e.g., /Documents):

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<folder-path>",
  "recursive": false,
  "limit": 50
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/list_folder" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.entries[] | {name, ".tag", size}'

Get File Metadata

Replace <file-path> with the actual file path (e.g., /Documents/report.pdf):

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<file-path>"
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/get_metadata" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '{name, path_display, ".tag", size, server_modified, id}'

Search Files

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "query": "report",
  "options": {
    "max_results": 20,
    "file_status": "active"
  }
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/search_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.matches[] | {name: .metadata.metadata.name, path: .metadata.metadata.path_display}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#files-search_v2

Create Folder

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "/New Folder",
  "autorename": false
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/create_folder_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display, id}'

Delete File or Folder

Replace <path> with the actual path:

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<path>"
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/delete_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display, ".tag"}'

Move File or Folder

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "from_path": "/old-location/file.txt",
  "to_path": "/new-location/file.txt",
  "autorename": false
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/move_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display}'

Copy File or Folder

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "from_path": "/source/file.txt",
  "to_path": "/destination/file.txt",
  "autorename": false
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/copy_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display}'

Upload File (small, up to 150MB)

Upload a local file. Replace <dropbox-path> with the target path and <local-file> with the local file path:

curl -s -X POST "https://content.dropboxapi.com/2/files/upload" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Dropbox-API-Arg: {\"path\": \"<dropbox-path>\", \"mode\": \"add\", \"autorename\": true}" --header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" --data-binary @<local-file> | jq '{name, path_display, size, id}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#files-upload

Download File

Replace <file-path> with the actual file path:

curl -s -X POST "https://content.dropboxapi.com/2/files/download" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Dropbox-API-Arg: {\"path\": \"<file-path>\"}" -o /tmp/downloaded_file

Create Shared Link

Replace <file-path> with the actual file path:

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<file-path>",
  "settings": {
    "requested_visibility": "public"
  }
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/sharing/create_shared_link_with_settings" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '{url, path_lower, link_permissions}'

Get Space Usage

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/users/get_space_usage" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" | jq '{used, allocated: .allocation.allocated}'

Guidelines

Paths: Always start with / for absolute paths; use "" for root in list_folder
API endpoints: Use api.dropboxapi.com for metadata operations, content.dropboxapi.com for file content (upload/download)
Upload limit: The simple upload endpoint supports files up to 150MB; use upload sessions for larger files
Rate limits: Dropbox applies per-app and per-user rate limits; back off on 429 responses
Case sensitivity: Dropbox paths are case-insensitive but case-preserving