If you’ve ever used SharePoint and Power Automate, you’ve probably noticed that the built-in SharePoint actions (like Get Items, Create Item, or Update File Properties) are great — but they don’t cover everything.

When you need advanced functionality, there’s one powerful tool to rely on:

The SharePoint REST API.

The REST API lets you talk directly to SharePoint’s backend, giving you full control over data, files, metadata, and even user information.

This post gives you a Top 10 SharePoint REST API Endpoints Cheat Sheet, complete with examples, use cases, and Power Automate tips — perfect for developers, business analysts, or automation specialists.

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💡 What Is the SharePoint REST API?

The SharePoint REST API provides a standard HTTP-based way to interact with SharePoint data — whether you’re reading list items, creating folders, uploading files, or running site searches.

You can call it using:

• Power Automate → “Send an HTTP Request to SharePoint”
• Postman or API clients
• Power Apps custom connectors
• Browser-based testing tools

Every REST call follows this pattern:

https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/YourSite/_api/<endpoint>

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🧩 Top 10 REST API Endpoints

Let’s explore the most useful endpoints you’ll use daily.

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1️⃣ Get All Lists in a Site

Purpose: Retrieve all lists and libraries from your site.

GET _api/web/lists

Common Filters:

GET _api/web/lists?$filter=Hidden eq false

✅ Use Case: When you’re building a dynamic app that needs to list all available SharePoint lists or verify if a list exists.

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2️⃣ Get List Details by Name

Purpose: Fetch metadata for a specific list (including its GUID).

GET _api/web/lists/getbytitle('Projects')

Key Fields: Title, ID, ItemCount, Created, BaseTemplate

✅ Use Case: Before inserting or updating data, use this to get the internal list name or schema.

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3️⃣ Get List Items (Read Data)

Purpose: Retrieve data (rows) from a list.

GET _api/web/lists/getbytitle('Projects')/items?$top=100

With Filter:

GET _api/web/lists/getbytitle('Projects')/items?$filter=Status eq 'Active'

✅ Supports: $filter, $select, $expand, $orderby

✅ Use Case: Perfect for data reporting, exporting, or flow condition checks in Power Automate.

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4️⃣ Create a List Item

Purpose: Add a new record into a SharePoint list.

POST _api/web/lists/getbytitle('Projects')/items

Headers:

Accept: application/json;odata=nometadata
Content-Type: application/json;odata=nometadata

Body:

{
  "__metadata": { "type": "SP.Data.ProjectsListItem" },
  "Title": "New Project Alpha",
  "Status": "Active"
}

✅ Use Case: Automate project or task creation when a form is submitted or a record is created in another system.

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5️⃣ Update a List Item

Purpose: Edit specific columns of a list item.

PATCH _api/web/lists/getbytitle('Projects')/items(12)

Headers:

IF-MATCH: *
X-HTTP-Method: MERGE
Content-Type: application/json;odata=nometadata

Body:

{
  "__metadata": { "type": "SP.Data.ProjectsListItem" },
  "Status": "Completed"
}

✅ Use Case: Automatically mark items as “Completed” after workflow approval.

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6️⃣ Delete a List Item

Purpose: Remove a specific record from a list.

POST _api/web/lists/getbytitle('Projects')/items(12)

Headers:

IF-MATCH: *
X-HTTP-Method: DELETE

✅ Use Case: Clean up old or invalid records as part of maintenance workflows.

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7️⃣ Upload a File to a Document Library

Purpose: Upload documents programmatically into a library.

POST _api/web/GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/Docs/Shared Documents')/Files/add(url='Report2025.xlsx',overwrite=true)

Body: Binary file content

✅ Use Case: Save files from Power Automate (e.g., email attachments, reports, invoices).

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8️⃣ Get or Update File Properties

Purpose: Read or write file metadata (columns).

GET _api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/Docs/Shared Documents/Report2025.xlsx')/ListItemAllFields

Update Example:

PATCH _api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/Docs/Shared Documents/Report2025.xlsx')/ListItemAllFields

Body:

{
  "__metadata": { "type": "SP.Data.Shared_x0020_DocumentsItem" },
  "Category": "Finance"
}

✅ Use Case: Automatically categorize uploaded files based on their type or origin.

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9️⃣ Get User Information

Purpose: Fetch the current user or another user’s details.

GET _api/web/currentuser

Or a specific user:

GET _api/web/getuserbyid(5)

✅ Use Case: Show user-specific data in dashboards or validate access in automated workflows.

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🔟 Search Across Site or Tenant

Purpose: Run full-text search using the SharePoint index.

GET _api/search/query?querytext='project plan'&rowlimit=10&selectproperties='Title,Path,Author,LastModifiedTime'

Supports:

• refiners → e.g. filetype,author
• trimduplicates=false
• sortlist='LastModifiedTime:descending'

✅ Use Case: Build custom “Search” flows, document finders, or reporting dashboards.

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⚙️ Bonus Utility Endpoints

Use Case	Endpoint
Get Site Info	_api/site
Get Current Site Info	_api/web
Get Subsites	_api/web/webs
Get Current User Groups	_api/web/currentuser/groups
Get Folder Contents	_api/web/GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/Docs/Shared Documents')/Files
Get Recycle Bin Items	_api/web/recyclebin

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🧰 Power Automate Tips

1. Use JSON outputs smartly: Always include Accept: application/json;odata=nometadata in headers for smaller, cleaner responses.
2. Avoid Authorization headers: The SharePoint connector automatically handles authentication.
3. Parse JSON carefully: Use the built-in Parse JSON action after each API call.
4. Error handling: Use Configure Run After to manage failed requests gracefully.
5. Combine $select and $filter: Fetch only the columns and rows you need — improves performance drastically.

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🚀 Why Learn REST API for SharePoint?

Even though Power Automate gives you many drag-and-drop actions, understanding the REST API unlocks 100% of SharePoint’s capabilities, including:

• Access to hidden properties not exposed in UI
• Control over site-level metadata
• Faster bulk operations
• Integration with external systems or custom apps

In short — REST is your superpower in Power Automate