OTA Connect API Usage Guide

Introduction Beta

Learn what OTA Connect is and why you should use it.

What is OTA Connect?

HERE OTA Connect is a highly secure, open, over-the-air software management solution, designed specifically for the automotive industry to deliver software and firmware updates to embedded devices in a cost-effective and scalable manner. This technology enables software-based vehicle updates and upgrades that can reduce costly recalls, introduce new on-demand functionality for user satisfaction, and pave the way for new revenue opportunities inside of vehicles.

Why use OTA Connect?

For starters, it’s highly secure. HERE OTA Connect was developed according to IEEE-ISTO 6100, the Uptane standard for secure over-the-air updates for automotive. Uptane is the first comprehensive security framework guiding the implementation of OTA update systems on a design level, and we’ve been an active participant every step of the way, developing the first commercial implementation and contributing heavily to the standardization work.

OTA Connect is also completely open source, so you don’t have to worry about being tied to a proprietary solution. Absolutely everything on the client side is open source and highly customizable. We offer a SaaS solution for all server-side functionality, but if you’d prefer to set up your own server, most of our server-side functionality is open source too—​including all of the security-sensitive elements.

It also has a great set of features. You can use it to create targeted update campaigns, monitor existing campaigns, and securely update software and firmware inside a vehicle. You can use our developer tools to enable OTA updates on your devices and our user interface to distribute updates to those devices.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for system integrators/backend developers who want to integrate the over-the-air update process with a third party campaign management system. The HERE OTA Connect APIs can be used to create updates and to retrieve information about devices and software. This API is currently in Beta (Beta) and can change without prior notice.

Before you begin, make sure that you meet the following prerequisites:

  • Experience with the command line

    We’ll give some simple examples of how to use our API endpoints from the command line. They should work in most \*NIX shells; if you are using something like PowerShell you might need to translate the commands a bit.

  • cURL and jq

    These tools should be available in your package manager. For example, on macOS (with Homebrew) you can install them with brew install curl jq; on Ubuntu or other Debian-derived distros you can do it with sudo apt install curl jq.

  • A login to the OTA Connect Portal

    If you don’t have one yet, you can find out how to get one in the OTA Connect Portal guide.

If you have the above prerequisites, you can start by first generating a valid Bearer token.