Introduction

DriftGuard API

Prevent pipeline failures before they happen. DriftGuard is a metadata-only API that catches breaking schema changes in your data pipelines, warehouses, and integrations.

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What is DriftGuard?

Data pipelines break when schemas change unexpectedly. A column gets renamed. A number becomes a string. A required field disappears. These “small” changes cause big problems: failed DAGs, wrong dashboards, hours of firefighting.

DriftGuard solves this with data contracts:

1. Define what your data should look like (the contract)
2. Check incoming schemas against that contract
3. Alert when drift is detected — before it breaks production

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Why DriftGuard?

Metadata-Only

We store column names and types, never your actual data. No PII, no security review delays.

API-First

One HTTP endpoint. No platform to adopt, no months-long implementation. Works with dbt, Airflow, Fivetran, or custom Python.

Pay As You Go

$10 for 500 checks. No monthly minimums, no contracts. Credits never expire.

CI/CD Native

Catch drift in pull requests, not in production. GitHub Action available.

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How It Works

# 1. Define your contract
curl -X POST https://api.driftguard.dev/api/v1/contracts \
  -H "X-API-Key: dg_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "users",
    "schema": {
      "columns": [
        { "name": "id",    "type": "integer", "required": true },
        { "name": "email", "type": "string",  "required": true }
      ]
    }
  }'

# 2. Check an incoming schema against that contract (costs 1 credit)
curl -X POST https://api.driftguard.dev/api/v1/check \
  -H "X-API-Key: dg_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "contract_id": "your_contract_id_here",
    "incoming_schema": {
      "columns": [
        { "name": "id",   "type": "integer" },
        { "name": "email", "type": "integer" }
      ]
    }
  }'

# 3. Get an instant verdict
{
  "result": "breaking",
  "severity": 95,
  "diff": {
    "removed": [],
    "type_changes": [{ "column": "email", "from": "string", "to": "integer" }],
    "added": []
  }
}

All endpoints use the X-API-Key header for authentication. The /api/v1/health endpoint is the only one that does not require a key.

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What Makes It Different

• API-first — no platform to adopt, no agent to install
• Metadata-only — we never store or touch your raw data, only column names and types
• Pay-as-you-go — 1 credit per check, no monthly seat fees. Credits never expire.
• CI-ready — integrates in one curl command, GitHub Action available
• Schema inference — send a sample JSON payload and DriftGuard auto-generates your contract schema

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Valid Column Types

DriftGuard supports the following column types in contracts and incoming schemas:

Type	Description
string	Text values
integer	Whole numbers
number	Floating point / decimal numbers
boolean	True / false values
date	Date without time (YYYY-MM-DD)
timestamp	Date with time
json	Nested JSON / object values

Any type outside this list will be rejected with a validation error.

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Get Started

Start in 5 Minutes

Follow the quickstart guide to run your first schema check.

Quick Links

5-Minute Quickstart

Get your first schema check running.

Core Concepts

Understand contracts, checks, and severity scoring.

API Reference

Complete endpoint documentation.

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Need Help?

• Email: [e-mail]
• Twitter/X: @naveenbale
• GitHub: Naveen071110/driftguard-docs

DriftGuard is currently in private beta. Join the waitlist to get your API key.