Allow setting populate_software=false when getting a host by identifier

[Patagonia121]

The software inventory in Fleet can create a poor user experience if there's a customer that has to scroll through a bunch of raw results, so using something like GET /api/v1/fleet/hosts/identifier/392547dc-0000-0000-a87a-d701ff75bc65?populate_software=false would make this much easier.

[JoStableford]

Related to a Slack conversation

[noahtalerman]

Hey @Patagonia121! Thanks for tracking this.

The software inventory in Fleet can create a poor user experience if there's a customer that has to scroll through a bunch of raw results

When you get the chance, can you please help dig into this? What workflow exactly is the customer trying to do?

Example workflow (Noah's guess): As the customer, I'm calling the GET /hosts/identifier:identifier API endpoint in Postman and looking at the response to try to find this host's last seen_time. This is painful because I have to scroll past the software array to see seen_time.

Note that this workflow includes not only the workflow but the tool the customer is using.

Maybe we can ask the customer to follow up in this issue?

[getvictor]

Related issues:

• Fix for #19348 added exclude_software to /api/latest/hosts/:id endpoint.
• #19618 should add exclude_software to device/:identifier endpoint.

[Patagonia121]

@noahtalerman - I reached out to the customer and will update once they respond (also shared your comment with them).

[mostlikelee]

@jamesfkane has an open PR on this. @jamesfkane can you provide a bit of info on what makes this feature useful to you?

CC: @noahtalerman

[lukeheath]

@noahtalerman Sending this to product board for review because we received a community PR that addresses it.

[jamesfkane]

Sounds like you already have what you need, but to add, when building automations using the GET /api/v1/fleet/hosts/identifier/:identifier endpoint and potentially looping through thousands of devices where the use case doesn't require software details, the option to exclude it significantly reduces the data in each response.

[noahtalerman]

Thanks @jamesfkane!

When you get the chance, can you please update the REST API docs in your PR?

It looks like we want to update the "Parameters" table for the "Get host by identifier" endpoint in the REST API docs to include the new parameter: https://fleetdm.com/docs/rest-api/rest-api#parameters28

[noahtalerman]

@lukeheath heads up, I updated this issue to user story and assigned it to @rachaelshaw (API design DRI)

Rachael, when you get the chance can you please take a look at the proposed API changes? If they look good to go, can you please move this story to the release board and assign @sharon-fdm so that it can be QA'd? Thanks!

[rachaelshaw]

✅ Approved the API change — it's consistent with what we currently have for Get host

[noahtalerman]

@sharon-fdm heads up, I pulled this off of the drafting board (:product). Rachael moved it to the release board.

cc @lukeheath

[sharon-fdm]

@noahtalerman is it a P2 for next sprint? If so, should we not keep it high on the product board (with P2)?

[sharon-fdm]

Hey team! Please add your planning poker estimate with Zenhub @getvictor @jacobshandling @lucasmrod @mostlikelee @RachelElysia

[noahtalerman]

is it a P2 for next sprint? If so, should we not keep it high on the product board (with P2)?

Hey @sharon-fdm! Not a P2.

My understanding, based on @lukeheath's proposed process for community PRs here in Slack (internal) is that we'd pull it into the current sprint.

[sharon-fdm]

@noahtalerman, NP. We can assign next sprint.

[noahtalerman]

Hey @Patagonia121 heads up that this customer request was shipped in 4.55 🚀

[fleet-release]

Excluding software, API response streamlined, Ease in host's seen time.