Integrate Update

Pull your moderated live updates into any website or app with a read-only API key. No SDK, no build step — one script tag or a few HTTP calls.

Get started in 4 steps

Create your organization. Sign up at the portal — no approval needed.
Create an event. You get a shareable #CODE that contributors post to via Telegram/email/web/the Update app.
Create a public API key. Under API keys → copy the upd_… value (shown once). It is read-only.
Embed. Drop the widget below into a page, or generate a full themed reader page under Reader theme.

Authentication

Every request needs your public key, sent either as a header or a query parameter. Public keys are read-only — safe to ship in a browser (and the generated update.php reader keeps it fully server-side if you prefer).

X-API-Key: upd_your_public_key
— or —
?key=upd_your_public_key

Quick embed (widget)

Renders a live, auto-updating feed inside an existing page. Replace YOUR_EVENT_CODE and YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY:

<script src="https://api.updateapp.co/public/events/YOUR_EVENT_CODE/widget.js?key=YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"></script>

Want a whole page instead of a widget? In the portal → Reader theme → Generate → update.php gives you a branded, ready-to-host reader that hides your key on the server.

On WordPress

Skip copy/pasting code entirely with the official Update Feed plugin — a Page Template gives you the full reader experience (sign-in, posting, follow, notifications) with your key entered once, plus an [update_feed] shortcode for the lighter teaser embed above.

Download the plugin (.zip)
In your WordPress admin: Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the file, Install Now, then Activate.
Create a Page, and under Page Attributes → Template choose Update Reader (Full Page). Paste your public key once in the template's settings.

Not yet in the WordPress.org plugin directory — for now, install via the zip above rather than searching for it from your WP admin's Plugins → Add New screen.

Add a "Live Update" link to your nav

Point an existing nav menu item at your hosted update.php/update.html reader page, with the same pulsing red "live" dot used throughout Update's own UI.

<a href="/update.php" class="live-update-link">
  <span class="live-dot"></span> Live Update
</a>

.live-update-link{
  display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:7px;
  font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;
}
.live-dot{
  width:8px;height:8px;border-radius:50%;background:#e5484d;
  position:relative;flex:none;
}
.live-dot::after{
  content:"";position:absolute;inset:-5px;border-radius:50%;
  border:2px solid #e5484d;opacity:.6;
  animation:livePulse 1.6s infinite;
}
@keyframes livePulse{
  0%{transform:scale(.6);opacity:.7}
  100%{transform:scale(1.8);opacity:0}
}

Swap /update.php for wherever you actually hosted the file, and drop the CSS into your site's stylesheet (or a <style> tag).

Site type	Where it goes
Plain static HTML	The <a> as a new <li> next to your other nav links; the CSS in your main stylesheet or <head>.
WordPress (no plugin)	Appearance → Menus → add a Custom Link (URL # as a placeholder is fine), then use Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS for the styles. Injecting the live-dot span into the menu label itself usually needs a small snippet plugin, since the core menu editor only accepts plain text for a link's label.
Update Feed WordPress plugin	Not needed here — this nav link is separate from the plugin's page template/shortcode (see "On WordPress" above), just a plain link to the page you already built with it.
A JS framework (React/Vue/etc.)	The template/JSX equivalent of the markup above, wherever your other nav items are rendered; CSS in your global stylesheet or that component's style block.

This is just a link + a CSS dot — no API key or script tag needed, since update.php already carries your key server-side (see "Quick embed" above).

Public endpoints

Base URL: https://api.updateapp.co. Responses are JSON: { ok, data } on success, { ok:false, error } on failure.

Method	Path	Returns
GET	/public/events	Your events
GET	/public/events/{code}	Event meta + branding
GET	/public/events/{code}/updates	Approved updates feed
GET	/public/events/{code}/stream	Live stream (SSE)
GET	/public/events/{code}/voices	Top contributors
GET	/public/events/{code}/top	Top moments
POST	/public/updates/{id}/like	Like an update
POST	/public/events/{code}/follow	Follow an event
GET	/public/updates/{id}/replies	Replies on an update
POST	/public/updates/{id}/reply	Post a reply (reader sign-in)
POST	/public/events/{code}/post	Reader posts an update (reader sign-in)

Reader sign-in. Posting and replying need a contributor token — readers sign in on your site with an email code or Google/Facebook (/auth/reader/*, /auth/oauth/*). OAuth only returns readers to approved origins: propose yours in the portal under API keys → Reader OAuth return origins, and a platform admin approves it before it works.

Example

curl "https://api.updateapp.co/public/events/NGR2027/updates?limit=10" \
  -H "X-API-Key: upd_your_public_key"

{
  "ok": true,
  "data": {
    "updates": [
      { "id": 42, "author": "Ada Obi", "text": "Doors are open…",
        "media_type": "image", "media_url": "https://…", "likes": 24,
        "submitted_at": "2027-05-01T09:12:00Z" }
    ]
  }
}