API Reference for Rust

Features#

Embed Scalar's HTML/JS assets directly into your Rust binary
Framework-agnostic core with optional integrations for popular web frameworks
Simple configuration injection via JSON
Automatic asset serving with proper MIME types

Integrations#

There are a few community integrations, too:

utoipa-scalar
Aide
scalar-doc (framework-agnostic)

Installation#

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
scalar_api_reference = "0.1.0"
serde_json = "1.0"

Usage#

use scalar_api_reference::{scalar_html, scalar_html_default, get_asset, get_asset_with_mime};
use serde_json::json;
 
// Generate HTML with configuration using CDN
let configuration = json!({
    "url": "/openapi.json",
    "theme": "purple"
});
 
// Using CDN fallback
let html1 = scalar_html(&configuration, None);
// or use the convenience function
let html2 = scalar_html_default(&configuration);
 
// Using custom JS bundle URL
let html3 = scalar_html(&configuration, Some("/custom-scalar.js"));
 
// Get static assets
if let Some(js_content) = get_asset("scalar.js") {
    // Serve the JavaScript file
}
 
// Get static assets with MIME type
if let Some((mime_type, content)) = get_asset_with_mime("scalar.js") {
    // Serve the JavaScript file with proper MIME type
}

Static Asset Serving#

If you need to serve additional static assets (CSS, JS, images), use the asset functions:

use scalar_api_reference::get_asset_with_mime;
 
// In your route handler
if let Some((mime_type, content)) = get_asset_with_mime("scalar.js") {
    // Return response with proper MIME type and content
}

JS Bundle URL Options#

The library supports two ways to load the Scalar JavaScript bundle:

CDN#

By default, the library uses the CDN-hosted version of Scalar:

// Uses https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@scalar/api-reference
let html = scalar_html(&configuration, None);

Custom Bundle URL#

You can provide your own JS bundle URL:

// Uses your custom URL
let html = scalar_html(&configuration, Some("/path/to/scalar.js"));

Convenience Functions#

For the simplest usage, use the convenience functions that default to CDN:

// Uses CDN automatically
let html = scalar_html_default(&configuration);

Configuration#

The configuration object supports all standard Scalar options. Common options include:

url: Path to your OpenAPI document
layout: Layout style ("classic" or "modern")
theme: Theme name (e.g., "purple", "blue", "green")
darkMode: Enable dark mode

See the documentation for the complete configuration reference.

Agent#

Agent adds an AI chat interface to your API reference. It is enabled by default on localhost with a limited free tier (10 messages). For production, you need an Agent key.

To set an Agent API key (top-level):

let configuration = json!({
    "url": "/openapi.json",
    "agent": {
        "key": "your-agent-scalar-key"
    }
});

To disable Agent:

let configuration = json!({
    "url": "/openapi.json",
    "agent": {
        "disabled": true
    }
});

With multiple sources, you can set an agent key per document:

let configuration = json!({
    "sources": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.example.com/openapi/v1.json",
            "agent": { "key": "your-key-for-api-v1" }
        },
        {
            "url": "https://api.example.com/openapi/v2.json"
        }
    ]
});

You can also build agent configuration with the provided types and serialize to JSON for scalar_html:

use scalar_api_reference::{scalar_html_default, AgentOptions, Source};
use serde_json::json;
 
// Top-level agent key
let agent = AgentOptions::with_key("your-agent-scalar-key");
let config = json!({
    "url": "/openapi.json",
    "agent": serde_json::to_value(&agent).unwrap()
});
let html = scalar_html_default(&config);
 
// Or disable agent
let config = json!({
    "url": "/openapi.json",
    "agent": serde_json::to_value(&AgentOptions::disabled()).unwrap()
});
 
// Per-source agent (multiple documents)
let sources = vec![
    Source::new("https://api.example.com/v1.json").with_agent(AgentOptions::with_key("key-for-v1")),
    Source::new("https://api.example.com/v2.json"),
];
let config = json!({ "sources": serde_json::to_value(&sources).unwrap() });

For more details, see Agent and How to get an Agent key.

Updated Sep 24, 2026