# OpenStack API Complete Reference

Use the OpenStack APIs and extensions to launch server instances, create images, assign metadata to instances and images, create containers and objects, and complete other actions in your OpenStack cloud.

The API status reflects the state of the endpoint on the service. CURRENT is a stable version that is up-to-date, recent, and might receive future versions. This endpoint should be prioritized over all others. SUPPORTED is a stable version that is available on the server. However, it is not likely the most recent available and might not be updated or might be deprecated at some time in the future. DEPRECATED is a stable version that is still available but is being deprecated and might be removed in the future. EXPERIMENTAL is not a stable version. This version is under development or contains features that are otherwise subject to change. For more information about API status values and version information, see Version Discovery.

You must install the packages for each API separately. You can use the APIs and extensions after you authenticate through the Identity API:

To get started with the APIs, see the OpenStack API Quick Start.