---
title: "Detailed metadata for one NASA GIBS layer"
method: GET
path: "/api/v1/environment/nasa-gibs/layer/{layer_id}"
tags: ["Environment"]
---

# Detailed metadata for one NASA GIBS layer

`GET /api/v1/environment/nasa-gibs/layer/{layer_id}`

Full metadata record for a single GIBS layer. Includes title, MIME format, tile matrix set, WGS84 bounding box, every declared ISO 8601 time interval, the RESTful tile URL template (placeholders intact), metadata links (colormap versions, CMR collection DOIs), and horizontal plus vertical SVG legend URLs. Also reports which other GIBS projections this layer appears in. Data: NASA GIBS / NASA Earthdata (US public domain).

## Path parameters

- `layer_id` string, required — GIBS layer identifier (case-sensitive). Example: `MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor`.

## Query parameters

- `projection` string — Catalog projection to read from.

## Response `200`

Layer detail record. Data: NASA GIBS / NASA Earthdata (US public domain).

- EnvelopeNasaGibsLayerDetailPayload
  - `data` NasaGibsLayerDetailPayload, required — Response payload for `/layer/{layer_id}`.
    - `layer` GibsLayerDetail, required — Extended layer description returned by the /layer/{id} endpoint.
      - `identifier` string, required — Stable machine identifier for the GIBS layer (case-sensitive).
      - `title` string, required — Human-readable English title from NASA GIBS.
      - `format` string, required — Primary tile MIME type (`image/png`, `image/jpeg`, or `application/vnd.mapbox-vector-tile`).
      - `tile_matrix_set` string, nullable — Primary resolution / zoom-pyramid name (e.g. `250m`, `500m`, `1km`, `2km`).
      - `projection` string, required — Projection catalog the layer was fetched from (`epsg4326`, `epsg3857`, `epsg3413`, or `epsg3031`).
      - `bbox` number[], nullable — WGS84 bounding box `[lower_lon, lower_lat, upper_lon, upper_lat]` if upstream declares one.
      - `default_time` string, nullable — Default timestamp (YYYY-MM-DD) used when the client does not pass `time`.
      - `temporal_extent_end` string, nullable — End of the most-recent available interval for the layer (YYYY-MM-DD).
      - `has_time` boolean, required — True when the layer declares a Time dimension (93 percent of GIBS layers do).
      - `is_vector_tile` boolean, required — True when the layer serves Mapbox Vector Tiles instead of raster images.
      - `time_intervals` GibsTimeInterval[] — All ISO 8601 time intervals declared on the layer. Multiple intervals indicate instrument data gaps.
        - `start` string, required — ISO 8601 interval start (e.g. `2000-02-24`). Inclusive.
        - `end` string, nullable — ISO 8601 interval end (e.g. `2026-04-19`). Inclusive when present.
        - `period` string, nullable — ISO 8601 duration step (e.g. `P1D` daily, `P1M` monthly, `P8D` 8-day, `P16D` 16-day).
        - `raw` string, required — Original upstream interval string exactly as emitted by NASA GIBS.
      - `tile_url_template` string, nullable — Primary tile URL template with `{Time}`, `{TileMatrixSet}`, `{TileMatrix}`, `{TileRow}`, `{TileCol}` placeholders intact. Use the /tile-url endpoint to substitute values.
      - `tile_url_templates` GibsTileTemplate[] — All tile ResourceURL templates declared on the layer.
        - `format` string, required — MIME type served by this template (e.g. `image/png`, `image/jpeg`, `application/vnd.mapbox-vector-tile`).
        - `template` string, required — Raw template string from NASA GIBS WMTS ResourceURL. Contains `{Time}`, `{TileMatrixSet}`, `{TileMatrix}`, `{TileRow}`, `{TileCol}` placeholders.
      - `metadata_urls` GibsMetadataLink[] — Metadata links (colormap versions, CMR collection DOIs) attached to the layer.
        - `role` string, required — xlink:role URI describing the metadata type (e.g. colormap version, CMR collection DOI).
        - `href` string, required — Absolute URL of the metadata document at NASA GIBS.
        - `title` string, nullable — Optional xlink:title annotation from NASA GIBS.
      - `legend_urls` GibsLegendUrl[] — Horizontal and vertical SVG legend URLs.
        - `role` string, required — xlink:role URI indicating legend orientation (`horizontal` or `vertical`).
        - `href` string, required — Absolute URL of the legend asset (SVG) at NASA GIBS.
        - `format` string, required — MIME type of the legend asset (typically `image/svg+xml`).
    - `available_projections` string[] — Projections in which this layer identifier was also found (of the four GIBS projections).
    - `attribution` string, required — Attribution string for user-facing surfaces.
    - `proxy_note` string, required — Reminder that Sugra does not proxy binary tiles.
  - `meta` SugraMeta, required — Metadata attached to every /api/v1/* response envelope.
    - `endpoint` string, required — Requested endpoint path.
    - `data_time` string, required — ISO 8601 UTC timestamp of the source data, not of the request.
    - `response_time` string, required — ISO 8601 UTC timestamp when this response was produced.
    - `provider` string, required — API name and version.
    - `source` string, nullable — Identifier of the primary upstream source used for this response.
    - `attribution` string, nullable — Human-readable attribution mandated by an upstream source (e.g. a securities regulator or self-regulatory organization). Present only on responses whose source requires the owner and source to be clearly identified. Do not remove or alter it when using the response.
    - `fallback_used` boolean, nullable — True when the primary source failed and a fallback produced the data.
    - `fallback_chain` string[], nullable — Ordered list of sources attempted, in the order they were tried.
    - `cached` boolean, nullable — True when this response was served from the internal cache.
    - `stale` boolean, nullable — True when the cached response was returned after the upstream rate-limited or errored. Clients can use this to detect degraded data.

## Other responses

- `401` — Missing or invalid `x-api-key` header.
- `422` — Validation Error
- `429` — Daily rate limit exceeded. Check `X-RateLimit-Reset` for the next window.
- `503` — Upstream source is temporarily unavailable. Retry after a short delay.

---

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