Epics API (deprecated)

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caution
The Epics REST API was deprecated in GitLab 17.0 and is planned for removal in v5 of the API. In GitLab 17.4 or later, if your administrator enabled the new look for epics, use the Work Items API instead. This change is a breaking change.

Every API call to epic must be authenticated.

If a user is not a member of a private group, a GET request on that group results in a 404 status code.

If epics feature is not available a 403 status code is returned.

Epic issues API

The epic issues API allows you to interact with issues associated with an epic.

Milestone dates integration

Because start date and due date can be dynamically sourced from related issue milestones, additional fields are shown when user has edit permission. These include two boolean fields start_date_is_fixed and due_date_is_fixed, and four date fields start_date_fixed, start_date_from_inherited_source, due_date_fixed and due_date_from_inherited_source.

  • end_date has been deprecated in favor of due_date.
  • start_date_from_milestones has been deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  • due_date_from_milestones has been deprecated in favor of due_date_from_inherited_source

Epics pagination

By default, GET requests return 20 results at a time because the API results are paginated.

Read more on pagination.

caution
In GitLab 12.6 and later, the reference attribute in responses is deprecated in favor of references.
note
references.relative is relative to the group that the epic is being requested from. When an epic is fetched from its origin group, the relative format is the same as the short format. When an epic is requested across groups, the relative format is expected to be the same as the full format.

List epics for a group

Gets all epics of the requested group and its subgroups. 

GET /groups/:id/epics
GET /groups/:id/epics?author_id=5
GET /groups/:id/epics?labels=bug,reproduced
GET /groups/:id/epics?state=opened
Attribute Type Required Description
id integer/string yes The ID or URL-encoded path of the group
author_id integer no Return epics created by the given user id
author_username string no Return epics created by the user with the given username.
labels string no Return epics matching a comma-separated list of labels names. Label names from the epic group or a parent group can be used
with_labels_details boolean no If true, response returns more details for each label in labels field: :name, :color, :description, :description_html, :text_color. Default is false.
order_by string no Return epics ordered by created_at, updated_at, or title fields. Default is created_at
sort string no Return epics sorted in asc or desc order. Default is desc
search string no Search epics against their title and description
state string no Search epics against their state, possible filters: opened, closed and all, default: all
created_after datetime no Return epics created on or after the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)
created_before datetime no Return epics created on or before the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)
updated_after datetime no Return epics updated on or after the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)
updated_before datetime no Return epics updated on or before the given time. Expected in ISO 8601 format (2019-03-15T08:00:00Z)
include_ancestor_groups boolean no Include epics from the requested group’s ancestors. Default is false
include_descendant_groups boolean no Include epics from the requested group’s descendants. Default is true
my_reaction_emoji string no Return epics reacted by the authenticated user by the given emoji. None returns epics not given a reaction. Any returns epics given at least one reaction.
not Hash no Return epics that do not match the parameters supplied. Accepts: author_id, author_username and labels. 
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/1/epics"

Example response: 

[
  {
  "id": 29,
  "iid": 4,
  "group_id": 7,
  "parent_id": 23,
  "parent_iid": 3,
  "title": "Accusamus iste et ullam ratione voluptatem omnis debitis dolor est.",
  "description": "Molestias dolorem eos vitae expedita impedit necessitatibus quo voluptatum.",
  "state": "opened",
  "confidential": "false",
  "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/groups/test/-/epics/4",
  "reference": "&4",
  "references": {
    "short": "&4",
    "relative": "&4",
    "full": "test&4"
  },
  "author": {
    "id": 10,
    "name": "Lu Mayer",
    "username": "kam",
    "state": "active",
    "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/018729e129a6f31c80a6327a30196823?s=80&d=identicon",
    "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/kam"
  },
  "start_date": null,
  "start_date_is_fixed": false,
  "start_date_fixed": null,
  "start_date_from_milestones": null,       //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "start_date_from_inherited_source": null,
  "end_date": "2018-07-31",                 //deprecated in favor of due_date
  "due_date": "2018-07-31",
  "due_date_is_fixed": false,
  "due_date_fixed": null,
  "due_date_from_milestones": "2018-07-31", //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "due_date_from_inherited_source": "2018-07-31",
  "created_at": "2018-07-17T13:36:22.770Z",
  "updated_at": "2018-07-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "closed_at": "2018-08-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "labels": [],
  "upvotes": 4,
  "downvotes": 0,
  "color": "#1068bf",
  "_links":{
      "self": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/4",
      "epic_issues": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/4/issues",
      "group":"http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7",
      "parent":"http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/3"
  }
  },
  {
  "id": 50,
  "iid": 35,
  "group_id": 17,
  "parent_id": 19,
  "parent_iid": 1,
  "title": "Accusamus iste et ullam ratione voluptatem omnis debitis dolor est.",
  "description": "Molestias dolorem eos vitae expedita impedit necessitatibus quo voluptatum.",
  "state": "opened",
  "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/groups/test/sample/-/epics/35",
  "reference": "&4",
  "references": {
    "short": "&4",
    "relative": "sample&4",
    "full": "test/sample&4"
  },
  "author": {
    "id": 10,
    "name": "Lu Mayer",
    "username": "kam",
    "state": "active",
    "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/018729e129a6f31c80a6327a30196823?s=80&d=identicon",
    "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/kam"
  },
  "start_date": null,
  "start_date_is_fixed": false,
  "start_date_fixed": null,
  "start_date_from_milestones": null,       //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "start_date_from_inherited_source": null,
  "end_date": "2018-07-31",                 //deprecated in favor of due_date
  "due_date": "2018-07-31",
  "due_date_is_fixed": false,
  "due_date_fixed": null,
  "due_date_from_milestones": "2018-07-31", //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "due_date_from_inherited_source": "2018-07-31",
  "created_at": "2018-07-17T13:36:22.770Z",
  "updated_at": "2018-07-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "closed_at": "2018-08-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "imported": false,
  "imported_from": "none",
  "labels": [],
  "upvotes": 4,
  "downvotes": 0,
  "color": "#1068bf",
  "_links":{
      "self": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/17/epics/35",
      "epic_issues": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/17/epics/35/issues",
      "group":"http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/17",
      "parent":"http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/17/epics/1"
  }
  }
]

Single epic

Gets a single epic 

GET /groups/:id/epics/:epic_iid
Attribute Type Required Description
id integer/string yes The ID or URL-encoded path of the group
epic_iid integer/string yes The internal ID of the epic. 
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/1/epics/5"

Example response: 

{
  "id": 30,
  "iid": 5,
  "group_id": 7,
  "parent_id": null,
  "parent_iid": null,
  "title": "Ea cupiditate dolores ut vero consequatur quasi veniam voluptatem et non.",
  "description": "Molestias dolorem eos vitae expedita impedit necessitatibus quo voluptatum.",
  "state": "opened",
  "imported": false,
  "imported_from": "none",
  "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/groups/test/-/epics/5",
  "reference": "&5",
  "references": {
    "short": "&5",
    "relative": "&5",
    "full": "test&5"
  },
  "author":{
    "id": 7,
    "name": "Pamella Huel",
    "username": "arnita",
    "state": "active",
    "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/a2f5c6fcef64c9c69cb8779cb292be1b?s=80&d=identicon",
    "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/arnita"
  },
  "start_date": null,
  "start_date_is_fixed": false,
  "start_date_fixed": null,
  "start_date_from_milestones": null,       //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "start_date_from_inherited_source": null,
  "end_date": "2018-07-31",                 //deprecated in favor of due_date
  "due_date": "2018-07-31",
  "due_date_is_fixed": false,
  "due_date_fixed": null,
  "due_date_from_milestones": "2018-07-31", //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "due_date_from_inherited_source": "2018-07-31",
  "created_at": "2018-07-17T13:36:22.770Z",
  "updated_at": "2018-07-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "closed_at": "2018-08-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "labels": [],
  "upvotes": 4,
  "downvotes": 0,
  "color": "#1068bf",
  "subscribed": true,
  "_links":{
      "self": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/5",
      "epic_issues": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/5/issues",
      "group":"http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7",
      "parent": null
  }
}

New epic

Creates a new epic.

note
Starting with GitLab 11.3, start_date and end_date should no longer be assigned directly, as they now represent composite values. You can configure it via the *_is_fixed and *_fixed fields instead.
POST /groups/:id/epics
Attribute Type Required Description
id integer/string yes The ID or URL-encoded path of the group
title string yes The title of the epic
labels string no The comma-separated list of labels
description string no The description of the epic. Limited to 1,048,576 characters.
color string no The color of the epic. Behind a feature flag named epic_highlight_color (disabled by default)
confidential boolean no Whether the epic should be confidential
created_at string no When the epic was created. Date time string, ISO 8601 formatted, for example 2016-03-11T03:45:40Z . Requires administrator or project/group owner privileges
start_date_is_fixed boolean no Whether start date should be sourced from start_date_fixed or from milestones
start_date_fixed string no The fixed start date of an epic
due_date_is_fixed boolean no Whether due date should be sourced from due_date_fixed or from milestones
due_date_fixed string no The fixed due date of an epic
parent_id integer/string no The ID of a parent epic 
curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/1/epics?title=Epic&description=Epic%20description&parent_id=29"

Example response: 

{
  "id": 33,
  "iid": 6,
  "group_id": 7,
  "parent_id": 29,
  "parent_iid": 4,
  "title": "Epic",
  "description": "Epic description",
  "state": "opened",
  "imported": false,
  "imported_from": "none",
  "confidential": "false",
  "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/groups/test/-/epics/6",
  "reference": "&6",
  "references": {
    "short": "&6",
    "relative": "&6",
    "full": "test&6"
  },
  "author": {
    "name" : "Alexandra Bashirian",
    "avatar_url" : null,
    "state" : "active",
    "web_url" : "https://gitlab.example.com/eileen.lowe",
    "id" : 18,
    "username" : "eileen.lowe"
  },
  "start_date": null,
  "start_date_is_fixed": false,
  "start_date_fixed": null,
  "start_date_from_milestones": null,       //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "start_date_from_inherited_source": null,
  "end_date": "2018-07-31",                 //deprecated in favor of due_date
  "due_date": "2018-07-31",
  "due_date_is_fixed": false,
  "due_date_fixed": null,
  "due_date_from_milestones": "2018-07-31", //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "due_date_from_inherited_source": "2018-07-31",
  "created_at": "2018-07-17T13:36:22.770Z",
  "updated_at": "2018-07-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "closed_at": "2018-08-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "labels": [],
  "upvotes": 4,
  "downvotes": 0,
  "color": "#1068bf",
  "_links":{
    "self": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/6",
    "epic_issues": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/6/issues",
    "group":"http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7",
    "parent": "http://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/7/epics/4"
  }
}

Update epic

Updates an epic. 

PUT /groups/:id/epics/:epic_iid
Attribute Type Required Description
id integer/string yes The ID or URL-encoded path of the group
epic_iid integer/string yes The internal ID of the epic
add_labels string no Comma-separated label names to add to an issue.
confidential boolean no Whether the epic should be confidential
description string no The description of an epic. Limited to 1,048,576 characters.
due_date_fixed string no The fixed due date of an epic
due_date_is_fixed boolean no Whether due date should be sourced from due_date_fixed or from milestones
labels string no Comma-separated label names for an issue. Set to an empty string to unassign all labels.
parent_id integer/string no The ID of a parent epic.
remove_labels string no Comma-separated label names to remove from an issue.
start_date_fixed string no The fixed start date of an epic
start_date_is_fixed boolean no Whether start date should be sourced from start_date_fixed or from milestones
state_event string no State event for an epic. Set close to close the epic and reopen to reopen it
title string no The title of an epic
updated_at string no When the epic was updated. Date time string, ISO 8601 formatted, for example 2016-03-11T03:45:40Z . Requires administrator or project/group owner privileges
color string no The color of the epic. Behind a feature flag named epic_highlight_color (disabled by default) 
curl --request PUT --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/1/epics/5?title=New%20Title&parent_id=29"

Example response: 

{
  "id": 33,
  "iid": 6,
  "group_id": 7,
  "parent_id": 29,
  "parent_iid": 4,
  "title": "New Title",
  "description": "Epic description",
  "state": "opened",
  "imported": false,
  "imported_from": "none",
  "confidential": "false",
  "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/groups/test/-/epics/6",
  "reference": "&6",
  "references": {
    "short": "&6",
    "relative": "&6",
    "full": "test&6"
  },
  "author": {
    "name" : "Alexandra Bashirian",
    "avatar_url" : null,
    "state" : "active",
    "web_url" : "https://gitlab.example.com/eileen.lowe",
    "id" : 18,
    "username" : "eileen.lowe"
  },
  "start_date": null,
  "start_date_is_fixed": false,
  "start_date_fixed": null,
  "start_date_from_milestones": null,       //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "start_date_from_inherited_source": null,
  "end_date": "2018-07-31",                 //deprecated in favor of due_date
  "due_date": "2018-07-31",
  "due_date_is_fixed": false,
  "due_date_fixed": null,
  "due_date_from_milestones": "2018-07-31", //deprecated in favor of start_date_from_inherited_source
  "due_date_from_inherited_source": "2018-07-31",
  "created_at": "2018-07-17T13:36:22.770Z",
  "updated_at": "2018-07-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "closed_at": "2018-08-18T12:22:05.239Z",
  "labels": [],
  "upvotes": 4,
  "downvotes": 0,
  "color": "#1068bf"
}

Delete epic

  • Changed in GitLab 16.11. In GitLab 16.10 and earlier, if you delete an epic, all its child epics and their descendants are deleted as well. If needed, you can remove child epics from the parent epic before you delete it.

Deletes an epic 

DELETE /groups/:id/epics/:epic_iid
Attribute Type Required Description
id integer/string yes The ID or URL-encoded path of the group
epic_iid integer/string yes The internal ID of the epic. 
curl --request DELETE --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/1/epics/5"

Create a to-do item

Manually creates a to-do item for the current user on an epic. If there already exists a to-do item for the user on that epic, status code 304 is returned. 

POST /groups/:id/epics/:epic_iid/todo
Attribute Type Required Description
id integer/string yes The ID or URL-encoded path of the group
epic_iid integer yes The internal ID of a group’s epic 
curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/1/epics/5/todo"

Example response: 

{
  "id": 112,
  "group": {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Gitlab",
    "path": "gitlab",
    "kind": "group",
    "full_path": "base/gitlab",
    "parent_id": null
  },
  "author": {
    "name": "Administrator",
    "username": "root",
    "id": 1,
    "state": "active",
    "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/e64c7d89f26bd1972efa854d13d7dd61?s=80&d=identicon",
    "web_url": "https://gitlab.example.com/root"
  },
  "action_name": "marked",
  "target_type": "epic",
  "target": {
    "id": 30,
    "iid": 5,
    "group_id": 1,
    "title": "Ea cupiditate dolores ut vero consequatur quasi veniam voluptatem et non.",
    "description": "Molestias dolorem eos vitae expedita impedit necessitatibus quo voluptatum.",
    "author":{
      "id": 7,
      "name": "Pamella Huel",
      "username": "arnita",
      "state": "active",
      "avatar_url": "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/a2f5c6fcef64c9c69cb8779cb292be1b?s=80&d=identicon",
      "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/arnita"
    },
    "web_url": "http://gitlab.example.com/groups/test/-/epics/5",
    "reference": "&5",
    "references": {
      "short": "&5",
      "relative": "&5",
      "full": "test&5"
    },
    "start_date": null,
    "end_date": null,
    "created_at": "2018-01-21T06:21:13.165Z",
    "updated_at": "2018-01-22T12:41:41.166Z",
    "closed_at": "2018-08-18T12:22:05.239Z"
  },
  "target_url": "https://gitlab.example.com/groups/epics/5",
  "body": "Vel voluptas atque dicta mollitia adipisci qui at.",
  "state": "pending",
  "created_at": "2016-07-01T11:09:13.992Z"
}