如何通过REST API访问VSTS 2013 Server？官方是否定义相关接口？

Hey there! Let me break this down clearly for you, since this is a bit of a legacy scenario that’s easy to get confused about:

Does VSTS 2013 Server have official REST APIs? #

Short answer: No, not in the modern, standardized REST API sense you’re likely expecting.

Back in 2013, what we now call Azure DevOps Server was split into two offerings: cloud-based VSTS (Visual Studio Team Services) and on-premises TFS (Team Foundation Server). The "VSTS 2013 Server" you’re referring to is actually the on-premises TFS 2013, and at that time Microsoft hadn’t rolled out the full, modern REST API suite we use today. The platform relied on older remote access technologies instead.

How to access your TFS 2013 Server programmatically #

If you need to interact with your server over HTTP, here are the two viable options available for TFS 2013:

• OData Feed: TFS 2013 includes an OData-compliant endpoint that exposes core data like work items, builds, and version history. You can access it at a URL formatted like:

  http://your-tfs-server:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection/_odata
  

  This is a REST-compatible interface (following OData specs) but has limited functionality compared to later APIs, and uses OData-specific query syntax.
• SOAP Web Services: This was the official recommended approach for TFS 2013. Each service area (work item tracking, version control, etc.) has a dedicated SOAP endpoint. For example:
  • Work Item Tracking: http://your-tfs-server:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection/_vti_bin/WorkItemTracking.asmx
  • Version Control: http://your-tfs-server:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection/_vti_bin/VersionControl.asmx
    You’ll need to send XML-formatted SOAP requests and parse XML responses, which is more cumbersome than modern REST, but it’s the most reliable way to access full functionality in TFS 2013.

Why your research might have come up empty #

It makes total sense you struggled to find good resources! Microsoft has largely archived documentation for TFS 2013’s older APIs as they shifted focus to the modern REST API introduced in TFS 2015 and later. If possible, upgrading to a newer version of Azure DevOps Server would give you access to a well-documented, full-featured REST API that’s far easier to work with.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Manigandan Seetharaman