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Leaderboard API

One request. A live leaderboard.

Create leaderboards, seed the players, and push scores — all over a simple REST API. Built for backends, scripts, and AI agents that build things on their own.

⌁ One-request board creation⚭ Real-time websocket updates⛭ AI-agent friendly docs
create-board.sh
curl -X POST https://bq-server.onrender.com/api/boards \
  -H "apikey: $BOARDQ_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Q3 Sales Race",
    "results": [
      { "name": "Alice", "points": 120 },
      { "name": "Bob",   "points":  80 }
    ]
  }'

# → { "board": { "url": "boardq.io/ab12cd34" },
#     "apikey": "…push scores with this…" }
1
request to create a board
200
players seeded per call
0s
refresh — updates are live
How it works

From API key to live board in minutes

The same flow whether it's your backend, a cron script, or an AI agent doing the work.

1

Get your account key

Generate it once in Settings → Developer API. Hand it to your code or agent (e.g. a BOARDQ_API_KEY env var).

2

Create the board

POST /api/boards with a name — and optionally the design, background, units, and up to 200 players with scores.

3

Push scores

The response includes the board's own API key. Add, update or delete results — viewers see every change instantly.

Why BoardQ's API

Everything a program needs to run a competition

One-request setup

Board + players + scores in a single call. No clicking through a wizard when a machine is doing the work.

Built for AI agents

Docs written so an agent can read them and act: explicit endpoints, accepted values, and error messages that say how to recover.

Two-level keys

An account key creates boards; each board gets its own scoped key for scores. Regenerate either to revoke instantly.

Real-time by default

Every API change is pushed to open boards over websockets. Perfect for office TVs and live dashboards.

Designs from code

Podiums, winner spotlights, charts, bubbles, gauges, profile cards — pick the layout, theme and background via parameters.

Full score CRUD

Add, read, update and delete results; increment totals; attach photos and subtitles. The whole board is scriptable.

FAQ

Leaderboard API questions

Can I create a leaderboard through the API?

Yes. POST /api/boards with your account API key creates a leaderboard in one request - name, type, design, background, and even the initial players (up to 200 rows with scores). The response returns the board URL and a board-scoped API key you can immediately use to push scores.

How do AI agents or skills authenticate?

Generate an account API key once in Settings → Developer API, then give it to your agent (for example as a BOARDQ_API_KEY environment variable). The agent sends it in the apikey header. Regenerating the key instantly revokes the old one.

Can I add or change scores after the board exists?

Yes. Each board has its own API key with full score CRUD: add results, update points, delete rows, and read the standings. Every change is pushed to viewers in real time over websockets - no refresh needed.

Can I choose the board's design from code?

Yes. The create endpoint accepts the same designs as the app: podiums, winner spotlights, bar charts, bubbles, gauges, profile cards and more - plus themes, backgrounds, units, prefixes and sort direction. All accepted values are listed in the docs.

Is the leaderboard API free?

Free accounts get 2 leaderboards with full API score access. The account-level key for creating boards programmatically is part of Premium, which also raises the limit to 30 boards.

Start building

Your next leaderboard is one request away.

Free to start — 2 boards, unlimited participants, full score API. Premium unlocks programmatic board creation.

No SDK required · Works from any language · Cancel anytime