Balena Cloud API

Name: Balena Cloud API API
Brand: Balena Cloud API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available SpecIOTDevice Managementbearer82 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Deploy containers to IoT device fleets, manage device state and configuration, track releases, and configure environment variables across balena-managed Linux devices.

Quickstart

Get started with Balena Cloud API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"deploy a container to an IoT device fleet"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with Balena Cloud API API.

Deploy containerized applications to fleets of Linux SBCs like Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano

Query device status, connectivity, and OS version across thousands of fleet members using OData filters

Pin specific releases to devices for controlled rollout and rollback of container deployments

Set environment variables at fleet, device, and service level for runtime configuration

GET STARTED

Start building with Balena Cloud API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Spec

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Balena Cloud API, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Balena Cloud API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Deploy and manage containerized applications across fleets of Linux single-board computers using an OData-based REST API with 82 endpoints. The API covers fleet (application) management, device provisioning and state control, release tracking, environment variable configuration, tagging, API key management, and organization administration — all queryable with $filter, $select, $expand, $orderby, $top, and $skip operators.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use Balena Cloud API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ AI Agent Fleet Deployment

AI agents orchestrate container deployments across IoT device fleets through Jentic's intent search. An agent searches for 'deploy release to device fleet', receives the POST /v7/release and PATCH /v7/application schemas, and pins a specific release commit to all fleet devices. Jentic handles bearer token authentication and OData query construction, letting the agent focus on deployment logic rather than API mechanics.

Create a new release for application ID 12345 and patch the application to pin all devices to that release commit hash

Device Fleet Monitoring and Filtering

Monitor the health and state of large IoT fleets by querying the GET /v7/device endpoint with OData filters for online status, OS version, supervisor version, and custom tags. The API supports $expand to include related fleet and release data in a single request, enabling fleet-wide dashboards that identify devices needing attention — offline units, outdated OS versions, or failed update attempts.

Query all devices in application 12345 where is_online equals true and os_version does not match the latest, using $filter and $select to return only device name, UUID, and OS version

Environment Variable Configuration Management

Configure runtime behavior of containerized services by setting environment variables at fleet, device, or service scope. The API exposes separate endpoints for each scope level — /v7/application_environment_variable, /v7/device_environment_variable, and /v7/device_service_environment_variable — allowing fine-grained configuration override hierarchies where device-level values take precedence over fleet defaults.

Set the environment variable 'API_ENDPOINT' to 'https://prod.example.com' on device environment variable endpoint for device ID 67890

Multi-Organization Fleet Administration

Administer multiple organizations, each containing separate device fleets, through the /v7/organization endpoints. Create organizations, manage membership, and transfer applications between organizations. The API supports enterprise multi-tenancy patterns where a central operations team manages hundreds of customer-specific fleets with distinct access controls and billing boundaries.

List all organizations, then retrieve all applications under organization ID 456 with $expand=owns__device to count total devices per fleet

Key Endpoints

82 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for balena cloud api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/v7/device

List all devices with OData query support

GET

/v7/application

List all fleet applications

POST

/v7/release

Create a new release for an application

PATCH

/v7/device({ID})

Update device properties or pin a release

POST

/v7/device_environment_variable

Set a device environment variable

GET

/v7/organization

List organizations

POST

/v7/application

Create a new fleet application

GET

/v7/release({ID})

Get release details by ID

GET

/v7/device

List all devices with OData query support

GET

/v7/application

List all fleet applications

POST

/v7/release

Create a new release for an application

PATCH

/v7/device({ID})

Update device properties or pin a release

POST

/v7/device_environment_variable

Set a device environment variable

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

Balena session tokens and API keys are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault (MAXsystem). Agents receive scoped bearer tokens — raw API keys never enter the agent's context window.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'deploy a container to my IoT fleet') and Jentic returns matching Balena operations with their OData query schemas, so the agent can manage devices without learning OData syntax.

Time to first call

Direct Balena integration: 2-4 days for OData query construction, auth flow, and pagination handling. Through Jentic: under 1 hour — search, load schema, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

Particle Cloud API

Vertically integrated MCU cloud platform vs Balena's container-on-Linux approach

Choose Particle when working with resource-constrained MCU hardware (Photon, Argon). Choose Balena when deploying full Linux containers to SBCs like Raspberry Pi.

Alternative

Golioth API

MCU-focused IoT platform with LightDB state and OTA for Zephyr/ESP-IDF devices

Choose Golioth for bare-metal MCU projects using Zephyr or ESP-IDF SDKs. Choose Balena for Linux-based devices where Docker containers simplify application management.

Complementary

ThingsBoard API

Open-source IoT platform with rule engine, dashboards, and telemetry storage

Use ThingsBoard alongside Balena when you need device telemetry dashboards, rule-based automation, or data visualization beyond what Balena's device management provides.

Complementary

Samsara API

Fleet telematics and compliance tracking for vehicles and industrial assets

Use Samsara for GPS tracking, driver safety scores, and HOS compliance. Choose Balena for deploying custom containerized applications to fixed-location edge devices.

FAQs

Specific to using Balena Cloud API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Balena Cloud API?

Balena does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Balena Cloud API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the Balena Cloud API use?

The Balena Cloud API uses Bearer token authentication. You authenticate with either a session token (obtained via login) or a named API key created in the balena dashboard. Through Jentic, these tokens are stored in the encrypted MAXsystem vault and agents receive scoped access without handling raw credentials.

Can I query devices with complex filters using this API?

Yes. The API supports OData query parameters including $filter (e.g., is_online eq true), $select (return specific fields), $expand (include related resources), $orderby, $top, and $skip. For example, GET /v7/device?$filter=is_online eq true&$select=device_name,uuid,os_version returns only online devices with selected fields.

How do I deploy a new container release to my fleet through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'deploy release to balena fleet' to discover the POST /v7/release endpoint. Create a release with your container image reference, then PATCH /v7/application({ID}) to set the should_be_running__release field to your new release ID. All fleet devices will download and run the new containers automatically.

What are the rate limits for the Balena Cloud API?

The Balena API enforces rate limits based on your plan tier. Free tier allows approximately 60 requests per minute. Paid plans support higher throughput. OData $expand queries count as a single request regardless of the number of related resources returned. Batch operations are recommended for fleet-wide changes.

Can I set different environment variables per device in the same fleet?

Yes. Balena supports a three-level variable hierarchy: fleet-level (POST /v7/application_environment_variable), device-level (POST /v7/device_environment_variable), and service-level (POST /v7/device_service_environment_variable). Device-level values override fleet defaults, and service-level values override device defaults for specific containers.