Sending a request to the Smartlink web service

To access the data provided by the Smartlink web service, you must send a request via a URL containing:

On setting up your account, our web service support team will supply you with a consumer key and a consumer secret; these form your authentication details.

A consumer key is your unique identifier, and identifies you to the Smartlink web service; the consumer secret confirms that you own the consumer key and therefore verifies that you have permission to use the key. This dual validation process, which utilises OAuth protocols, makes the authentication process extremely secure.

To conduct a successful search the request URL (search object) must contain the following parameter values as a minimum:

Request parameters, their data types and permissible formats, are highlighted in the table below, with supporting notes:

Authentication parameters

Parameter Data Type Possible Formats Notes
consumer key Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9
40 character string
User must be authenticated for every search
consumer secret Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9
40 character string
User must be authenticated for every search

Search object parameters

Parameter Data Type Possible Formats Notes
forename Alpha a-z, A-Z, -
70 characters max
Required value. An initial is the minimum requirement.
middleName Alpha a-z, A-Z, -
32 characters max
Optional value; middle name can help improve the likelihood of a response being related to the search.
surname Alpha a-z, A-Z, -
35 characters max
Required value
dob Date YYYY-MM-DD Required value
address1 Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9,
64 characters max
When entering an address, postcode must be provided, and is the minimum value which can be entered.
An address (full or partial) must be provided with every request.
address2 Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max
As Above
address3 Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max
As Above
address4 Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max
As Above
address5 Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max
As above
postcode Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
7 characters min
8 characters max
Postcode is the minimum value required when providing an address.

An address (full or partial) must be provided with every request.
requestReference Alphanumeric a-z, A-Z, 0-9, - , _
32 characters max
The requestReference parameter allows you to provide a unique reference for each search you conduct.