Data Model

Regbase stores each real-world item as an entity. An entity may represent legislation, a person, or another regulatory object.

Entity resources

Each entity follows the JSON:API resource shape:

{
  "type": "legislation",
  "id": "01k4example",
  "attributes": {
    "title": "Clean Air Act",
    "displayDate": "2026-08-14",
    "jurisdiction": "US.CA",
    "localIdentifier": "AB 123",
    "localType": "bill",
    "authority": "California Legislature",
    "status": "Passed"
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "https://api.regbase.com/v1/entities/01k4example"
  }
}

type is the entity's domain type. It is not repeated inside attributes. id is the canonical Regbase identifier.

The public v1 API may return these fields:

• type
• title
• name
• displayDate
• jurisdiction
• localIdentifier
• localType
• authority
• status

Fields that do not apply to an entity are omitted.

Documents and collections

A single-entity response places the resource in data. A list or search response places resources in a data array.

Top-level links.self identifies the current request. Paginated endpoints may also return links.next. Their meta.cursor value can be passed as page[after].

Canonical entities

Regbase may merge duplicate entities. Requests for a merged identifier follow the merge and return the surviving entity. List endpoints omit merged sources.

Change resources

The changes endpoint returns resources with type set to entity-change. Their attributes contain the entity snapshot after the change plus:

• changeType: create, update, delete, or merge
• changedKeys: public entity fields changed by the event
• mergedInto: the surviving entity ID for a merge, otherwise null
• recordedAt: when Regbase recorded the change

The entity relationship links the change to its entity.