Barracuda Networks provides a set of APIs for remote administration and configuration of the Barracuda Email Security Gateway. The APIs work through manipulation of variables inside of the system configuration database, and anything that can be declared in that database can be set or checked with the APIs. This includes most things that you can set by clicking the Save Changes button in the Barracuda Email Security Gateway web interface. For example, from the BASIC > Spam Checking page, you can set global Spam Scoring Limit values for the actions Block, Tag or Quarantine, then click the Save Changes button. These values can be set remotely using the APIs.
The framework of the API provides for the programmer to get or set variables inside an XML-RPC request that correspond to field values in the configuration database in the Barracuda Email Security Gateway. Some languages such as Perl, for example, provide wrappers for XML-RPC requests, providing an interface to form the request. To view the variables and current settings of the Barracuda Email Security Gateway configuration database, on the ADVANCED > Backup page, select System Configuration for Backup Type and click the Backup button.
To prepare the Barracuda Email Security Gateway for use with the APIs, you must first enter the IP addresses that are allowed to communicate with the APIs in the Allowed SNMP and API IP/Range field on the BASIC > Administration page, and you must create an API Password that will be included with all calls to the APIs. For more information on using the APIs, see the Barracuda Email Security Gateway API Guide.