Glossary

API Concepts

API Token

Bearer token used for authentication with the Productboard API. Required for all API requests.

See our detailed guide on authentication

Configuration-Driven API

An API approach where available fields, types, and capabilities are determined by workspace configuration rather than being hardcoded. Use the /configuration endpoints to discover available options.

Cursor-Based Pagination

A pagination method using opaque cursors (pageCursor) to navigate through large result sets efficiently.

Entity Reference

A standardized object containing id, type, and links properties used to reference other entities in the system.

Field Discovery

The process of using configuration endpoints to determine what fields are available for each entity type and their capabilities.

JSON Patch Operations

Granular update operations that allow adding, removing, or modifying specific parts of an entity without replacing the entire object.

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Core Entities

Entity

General term for Productboard entities including products, components, features, subfeatures, initiatives, objectives, key results, releases, and release groups.

Component

A structural element that organizes features within a product. Components help create hierarchical organization in your product structure.

See also Fundamentals of Productboard - Product Hierarchy

Feature

A product capability or functionality that delivers value to users. Features are typically organized under components and can contain subfeatures.

See also Fundamentals of Productboard - Product Hierarchy

Hierarchy Item

A generic term for entities that participate in the product hierarchy (products, components, features, subfeatures).

See also Fundamentals of Productboard - Product Hierarchy

Initiative

A strategic effort or project that groups related work items together to achieve specific business objectives.

See also Initiative management in Productboard

Key Result

A measurable outcome that contributes to achieving an objective. Part of the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework.

See also Building and tracking key results

Note

User-generated content that captures feedback, ideas, or insights. Notes can be of type simple, conversation, or opportunity.

See also:

• Quick start guide: Feedback
• Create your first insight

Objective

A high-level goal that an organization wants to achieve. Objectives are supported by key results in the OKR framework.

See also Defining your product objectives

Product

The top-level entity in the product hierarchy representing the entire product or service offering.

See also:

• Fundamentals of Productboard - Product Hierarchy
• Build your product hierarchy

Release

A specific version or deployment of product features to customers.

See also Plan releases to decide what to deliver when

Release Group

A collection of related releases that are managed together.

See also Plan releases to decide what to deliver when

Subfeature

A smaller, more specific piece of functionality that belongs to a parent feature.

See also:

• Fundamentals of Productboard - Product Hierarchy
• Build your product hierarchy

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Field Types

Boolean Field

A true/false field value, typically represented as a checkbox in the user interface.

Date Field

Date value in ISO 8601 format without time component (e.g., "2023-10-01").

Date-Time Field

Date and time value in ISO 8601 format (e.g., "2023-10-01T12:00:00Z").

Health Field

Status indicator showing the health of work items with values like onTrack, atRisk, or offTrack. Can be set manually or calculated automatically.

See also Provide health updates for your features

Member Field

Reference to a team member, containing user information like ID and email address.

See also:

• Add new members to your Productboard workspace
• Organize members into teams

Multi-Select Field

Field that allows selection of multiple values from a predefined list of options.

Name Field

Text field specifically used for entity names, with length constraints (0-255 characters).

Number Field

Numeric field that can contain integers or floating-point numbers, including negative values.

Progress Field

Numeric field representing completion progress, typically with start, target, and current values.

See also Track your work progress

Rich Text Field

HTML-formatted text content that supports formatting like bold, italics, and links.

See also Format text in Productboard descriptions

Single Select Field

Field that allows selection of exactly one value from a predefined list of options.

Status Field

Structured field representing the current state of an entity (e.g., "In Progress", "Done").

See also Customize status values for features

Tags Field

Array of labels used to categorize and organize entities.

See also How do tags work in Productboard?

Teams Field

Array of team references, allowing association with multiple teams.

See also Organize members into teams

Text Field

Plain text field with length constraints, used for general text content.

Timeframe Field

Complex field containing start date, end date, and granularity (year, quarter, month, day) for scheduling.

See also Use the Timeframe column to plan your features against time

URL Field

Field containing valid URLs with automatic format validation.

UUID Field

Universally Unique Identifier field used for entity references.

Work Progress Field

Percentage-based progress indicator with modes: manual, status-based, or calculated.

See also Track your work progress

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Note Types

Conversation Note

Note type representing a dialogue between agents and customers, similar to support ticket conversations. Contains an array of conversation parts with timestamps and author information.

Opportunity Note

Note type capturing business opportunities with structured key-value field data for amounts, dates, and descriptions.

See also Import Salesforce Opportunities to Productboard as notes

Simple Note

Basic note type containing straightforward text content for capturing feedback or ideas.

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Relationship Types

Child Relationship

Hierarchical relationship where the target entity is a child of the source entity.

For example, a Feature can be a child of a Component.

Customer Relationship

Association between a Note and a customer entity (either User or Company).

See also:

• Using the Customers board to see related customer context
• How to manually add a company to Productboard
• Assign users to companies

Hierarchy Item Relationship

Connection between notes and product Hierarchy Items (features, components, etc.).

Link Relationship

Non-hierarchical connection between entities, used for associations that don't imply parent-child structure.

Parent Relationship

Hierarchical relationship where the target entity is a parent of the source entity.

For example, a Component can be a parent of a Feature.

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Operations & Actions

Add Items Operation

Patch operation that adds one or more values to a list-type field without replacing existing values.

Archive

Action to mark entities as archived, removing them from active use while preserving data.

See also:

• How can I archive features?
• How can I archive a note on the Insights board?

Clear Operation

Patch operation that removes all values from a field, setting it to null or empty.

Create Action

Permission to create new entities or field values.

Delete/Remove Items Operation

Patch operation that removes specific values from a list-type field.

Filtered Search

Querying entities with specific criteria like owner, status, archived state, or custom field values.

Read Action

Permission to retrieve and view entity data.

Set Operation

Patch operation that replaces the entire value of a field.

Update Action

Permission to modify existing entity data.

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Configuration & Metadata

Cardinality

Specification of whether a relationship can have single or multiple target entities e.g., one-to-one vs. one-to-many relationships.

Field Configuration

Metadata describing available fields, their types, validation rules, and supported operations for an entity type.

Field Schema

JSON Schema definition that describes the structure and validation rules for a specific field.

Lifecycle Operations

Specification of what operations (create, update, patch) are allowed for a field during different stages.

Mandatory Relationship

Relationship that must exist for an entity to be valid (e.g., features must have a parent component).

Patch Operations

Available granular operations for a field: set, addItems, removeItems, clear.

Relationship Configuration

Metadata describing what types of relationships an entity can have, their cardinality, and whether they're required.

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Status & Progress

Archived Status

Boolean indicator showing whether an entity has been archived and removed from active use.

Granularity

Time unit specification for timeframes: year, quarter, month, or day.

Health Mode

Setting that determines how health status is calculated: manual (user-set) or calculated (automatic).

See also Overwriting the automatic roll-up

Health Status

Current health state of work items: notSet, onTrack, atRisk, or offTrack.

See also Provide health updates for your features

Processed Status

Boolean indicator for notes showing whether they have been processed or reviewed.

See also Create your first insight

Work Progress Mode

Setting for how work progress is calculated: manual, status-based, or calculated.

See also Progress tracking modes

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System Concepts

External ID

Identifier from external systems, used to maintain references when integrating with other tools.

Origin System

External system or source where content originated (e.g., "crm", "support").

Pagination Cursor

Opaque token used to navigate through paginated API responses.

Resource Links

Self-referencing URLs that provide direct access to entity endpoints.

Source Information

Metadata about the origin of content, including external ID, system name, and source URL.

Workspace Configuration

Organization-specific settings that determine available fields, entity types, and business rules.

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This glossary covers the core concepts from Productboard API v2. For detailed implementation information, refer to the specific endpoint documentation.