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Release: Australia · Updated: 2026-03-12 · Official documentation · View source

CMDB Meta API

The CMDB Meta API provides endpoints to obtain meta data on a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) class.

This API requires that the user have the ITIL role.

Parent Topic:REST API reference

CMDB Meta - GET /now/cmdb/meta/{classname}

Returns the meta data for the specified CMDB class.

URL format

Versioned URL: /api/now/{api_version}/cmdb/meta/{className}

Default URL: /api/now/cmdb/meta/{className}

Note: Available versions are specified in the REST API Explorer. For scripted REST APIs there is additional version information on the Scripted REST Service form.

Supported request parameters

NameDescription
api\_versionOptional. Version of the endpoint to access. For example, `v1` or `v2`. Only specify this value to use an endpoint version other than the latest. Data type: String
classNameCMDB class name. This is the name of the table that contains the desired CI records, such as cmdb\_ci\_linux\_server or cmdb\_ci\_apache\_web\_server.Data type: String
NameDescription
None 
NameDescription
None 

Headers

The following request and response headers apply to this HTTP action only, or apply to this action in a distinct way. For a list of general headers used in the REST API, see Supported REST API headers.

HeaderDescription
AcceptData format of the response body. Supported types: application/json or application/xml. Default: application/json
HeaderDescription
None 

Status codes

The following status codes apply to this HTTP action. For a list of possible status codes used in the REST API, see REST API HTTP response codes.

Status codeDescription
200Successful. The request was successfully processed.
401Unauthorized. The user credentials are incorrect or have not been passed.
404Not found. The requested item wasn't found.
500Internal server error. An unexpected error occurred while processing the request. The response contains additional information about the error.

Response body parameters (JSON or XML)

ElementDescription
attributesAvailable fields in the specified class table. Data type: Array
childrenList of classes extended from the specified class.Data type: Array
iconClass icon sys\_id.Data type: String
icon\_urlClass icon URL. Data type: String
identification\_rulesAttributes associated with the configuration item identification rules for the specified class. Data type: Object
is\_extendableFlag that indicates whether the class can be extended to create other classes.Possible values: - true: Class can be extended. - false: Class cannot be extended. Data type: Boolean
labelSpecified class display name.Data type: String
nameTable/class name.Data type: String
parentParent class.Data type: String
relationship\_rulesRelationships between the specifed class and other classes in the CMDB. Data type: Array

Sample cURL request

curl "https://instance.servicenow/api/now/cmdb/meta/cmdb_ci_computer" \
--request GET \
--header "Accept:application/json" \
--user 'username':'password'
{
  "result": {
    "icon_url": "images/app.ngbsm/computer.svg",
    "is_extendable": true,
    "parent": "cmdb_ci_hardware",
    "children": [
      "cmdb_ci_ucs_blade",
      "cmdb_ci_pc_hardware",
      "cmdb_ci_ucs_rack_unit",
      "cmdb_ci_mainframe_hardware",
      "cmdb_ci_server",
      "cmdb_ci_storage_switch"
    ],
    "name": "cmdb_ci_computer",
    "icon": "c6442dd69fb00200eb3919eb552e7012",
    "attributes": [
      {
        "is_inherited": "false",
        "is_mandatory": "false",
        "is_read_only": "false",
        "default_value": null,
        "label": "OS Address Width (bits)",
        "type": "integer",
        "element": "os_address_width",
        "max_length": "40",
        "is_display": "false"
      },
      {
        "is_inherited": "true",
        "is_mandatory": "false",
        "is_read_only": "true",
        "default_value": "false",
        "label": "Skip sync",
        "type": "boolean",
        "element": "skip_sync",
        "max_length": "40",
        "is_display": "false"
      },
      {
        "is_inherited": "true",
        "is_mandatory": "false",
        "is_read_only": "false",
        "default_value": null,
        "label": "DNS Domain",
        "type": "string",
        "element": "dns_domain",
        "max_length": "255",
        "is_display": "false"
      },
      {
        "is_inherited": "true",
        "is_mandatory": "false",
        "is_read_only": "false",
        "default_value": null,
        "label": "Purchased",
        "type": "glide_date",
        "element": "purchase_date",
        "max_length": "40",
        "is_display": "false"
      },
      {
        "is_inherited": "true",
        "is_mandatory": "false",
        "is_read_only": "false",
        "default_value": null,
        "label": "Lease contract",
        "type": "string",
        "element": "lease_id",
        "max_length": "40",
        "is_display": "false"
      }
    ],
    "relationship_rules": [
      {
        "parent": "cmdb_ci_computer",
        "relation_type": "cb5592603751200032ff8c00dfbe5d17",
        "child": "dscy_route_next_hop"
      },
      {
        "parent": "cmdb_ci_computer",
        "relation_type": "cb5592603751200032ff8c00dfbe5d17",
        "child": "dscy_router_interface"
      },
      {
        "parent": "cmdb_ci_computer",
        "relation_type": "cb5592603751200032ff8c00dfbe5d17",
        "child": "dscy_route_interface"
      },
      {
        "parent": "cmdb_ci_computer",
        "relation_type": "55c95bf6c0a8010e0118ec7056ebc54d",
        "child": "cmdb_ci_storage_pool"
      },
      {
        "parent": "cmdb_ci_computer",
        "relation_type": "55c95bf6c0a8010e0118ec7056ebc54d",
        "child": "cmdb_ci_disk_partition"
      },
      {
        "parent": "cmdb_ci_computer",
        "relation_type": "55c95bf6c0a8010e0118ec7056ebc54d",
        "child": "cmdb_ci_storage_volume"
      },
      {
        "parent": "cmdb_ci_computer",
        "relation_type": "55c95bf6c0a8010e0118ec7056ebc54d",
        "child": "cmdb_ci_storage_device"
      }
    ],
    "label": "Computer",
    "identification_rules": {
      "related_rules": [
        {
          "condition": "",
          "exact_count_match": false,
          "referenced_field": "installed_on",
          "active": true,
          "attributes": "name",
          "allow_fallback": false,
          "table": "cmdb_print_queue_instance",
          "order": 100,
          "allow_null_attribute": false
        }
      ],
      "applies_to": "cmdb_ci_hardware",
      "identifiers": [
        {
          "condition": "valid=true^absent=false^EQ",
          "exact_count_match": true,
          "referenced_field": "cmdb_ci",
          "active": true,
          "attributes": "serial_number,serial_number_type",
          "allow_fallback": false,
          "table": "cmdb_serial_number",
          "order": 100,
          "allow_null_attribute": false
        },
        {
          "condition": null,
          "exact_count_match": false,
          "referenced_field": null,
          "active": true,
          "attributes": "serial_number",
          "allow_fallback": false,
          "table": null,
          "order": 200,
          "allow_null_attribute": false
        },
        {
          "condition": null,
          "exact_count_match": false,
          "referenced_field": null,
          "active": true,
          "attributes": "name",
          "allow_fallback": false,
          "table": null,
          "order": 300,
          "allow_null_attribute": false
        },
        {
          "condition": "install_status!=100^EQ",
          "exact_count_match": true,
          "referenced_field": "cmdb_ci",
          "active": true,
          "attributes": "ip_address,mac_address",
          "allow_fallback": false,
          "table": "cmdb_ci_network_adapter",
          "order": 400,
          "allow_null_attribute": false
        }
      ],
      "name": "Hardware Rule",
      "description": "Identifier for hardware.",
      "active": true,
      "is_independent": true
    }
  }
}