# API — Decisions

## Settled
- API is the heartbeat authority by polling agents.
- Agent does not push heartbeat/state into API.
- Semantic readiness uses `/ready`, not plain HTTP 200.
- Portal should consume API-normalized state, not call agents directly for normal state/actions.
- `/api/instances` and `/api/containers` are distinct contracts: instances is the active list/create surface, while containers is the cleanup/delete/orphan-remediation surface.
- there is no API-native `/api/agent/:serverId/:action` route in `zpack-api`; any route with that shape is Portal-owned compatibility behavior rather than an API feature.
- streaming upload proxy behavior should remain separate from generic non-streaming `agentClient.js` transport.
- websocket console proxy behavior should remain separate from generic non-streaming `agentClient.js` transport.
- API is now tracked on a Node 24 baseline with repo-local version pinning.
- built-in global `fetch` is the intended fetch implementation; direct `node-fetch` dependency is no longer the preferred pattern.
- duplicated game file proxy behavior should be folded into shared helper paths while preserving compatibility for both canonical and compatibility routes.
- Prisma config should live in dedicated Prisma config, not deprecated `package.json#prisma` config.
- JWT verification hardening is allowed to be contract-sensitive; access, refresh, and IDE proxy tokens may use distinct audience expectations.
- hosted IDE proxy cookies should default to hardened behavior appropriate for public HTTPS deployments.
- proxy logging should avoid exposing cookies or detailed forwarded-header values in routine logs.
- legacy worker-based provisioning is no longer a live API path and should stay out of the active tree unless intentionally revived.
- legacy port allocation / slot reservation is no longer part of the active provisioning model and should stay retired unless intentionally revived end to end.
- Minecraft edge routing uses Velocity; API should call the bridge's real HTTP routes: `POST /zpack/register`, `POST /zpack/unregister`, and `GET /zpack/status`.
- API must not depend on a nonexistent Velocity `/zpack/list` route for registration verification.
- `registered_with_proxy` means Velocity accepted the backend into its routing table; it does not mean the Minecraft backend is confirmed playable.
- `proxy_ping_ok` / `proxy_ping_failed` are the stronger proxy-side readiness signals because they come from Velocity pinging the registered backend.
- Proxy lifecycle state belongs under `ContainerInstance.payload.proxy`, separate from agent readiness and `agentState`.
- The Velocity bridge should report proxy lifecycle events to `POST /internal/velocity/proxy-status` using the same hashed `X-Zpack-Secret` auth style.
- Edge publish state and Velocity proxy callback state should be merged into `ContainerInstance.payload` atomically rather than read/modify/write replacing the full JSON payload.
- Underlying Proxmox/LXC lifecycle state is a separate API contract from game runtime readiness and agent readiness.
- Shared host lifecycle routes under `/api/servers/:id/host/*` should serve both game and dev containers.
- Host lifecycle actions should return `202 Accepted` plus an operation/status URL instead of holding the request open until Proxmox completes.
- API must check ownership before any host/LXC lifecycle action.
- API should resolve the actual Proxmox node for a VMID when possible instead of assuming the configured default node is always correct.
- Listener-limit fixes should target the socket creation/attachment point. For outbound Axios/follow-redirects traffic, use configured HTTP/HTTPS agents rather than relying on inbound HTTP socket handling.
- API control-plane routes must have explicit route-level authorization even when network access is already gated behind OPNsense/internal routing.
- `requireAdmin` is the shared policy for admin-only API routes such as audit logs and global instance inventory.
- `requireInternalToken` is the shared policy for internal-only control-plane routes such as raw edge publishing, Proxmox access, raw container teardown, and service discovery.
- Internal-token-protected routes should fail closed when token configuration is missing, except for explicit `NODE_ENV=development` or `NODE_ENV=test` local flows.
- User-owned delete should use `DELETE /api/servers/:id` with a normal user bearer token and ownership check.
- Raw `DELETE /api/containers/:vmid` is primarily an internal/admin/orphan-remediation surface. It temporarily accepts owned-user bearer deletes for Portal compatibility, but Portal should migrate to `/api/servers/:id`.
- Orphan cleanup belongs to internal/admin workflows, not normal Portal user paths. Portal deletes only active servers the DB says the user owns.
- Container teardown should live in a reusable service so Portal-owned delete and internal raw teardown share archival/Proxmox/DNS/Velocity/dev-IDE cleanup behavior.
- Completed teardown should archive `DeletedInstance` before removing the active `ContainerInstance` row so cleanup metadata remains available.
- Non-runtime clutter such as checked-in keys/tokens, local artifacts, `.old` scripts, `src/tmp`, and retired legacy trees should stay out of the active repo.

## Tracking rule
- when API work completes, remove it from `OPEN_ITEMS.md`
- if it changes the long-lived architecture, update `CURRENT_STATE.md` or this file