Inspecting Templates
Fetch template details, discover compositions and layers, download the source file, and update template properties
Fetch a Template (v3)
The v3 API splits introspection into three separate endpoints. The main metadata endpoint returns a lightweight object - compositions and layers are fetched separately.1. Get template metadata
2. List compositions
GET /v3/templates/{id}/compositions returns paginated compositions with full AE metadata.
name field is the value to use as template.composition when submitting a render job.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
aeid | After Effects internal composition ID |
name | Composition name - use this as template.composition in jobs |
width / height | Composition dimensions in pixels |
duration | Duration in seconds |
frame_rate | Frames per second |
data | Additional parser metadata |
3. List layers
GET /v3/templates/{id}/layers returns paginated layers with full structural metadata.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
composition_id | aeid of the composition this layer belongs to |
aeid | After Effects internal layer ID |
name | Layer name - use this as layerName in job assets and functions |
top / left / width / height | Layer bounds at time 0, in pixels |
start_time | Layer start time in seconds |
in_point / out_point | Layer in/out points in seconds |
layer_type | AE layer type: TextLayer, AVLayer, ShapeLayer, CameraLayer, etc. |
source_type | Source type for AV layers: image, video, audio (null for non-AV) |
source_comp_id | AE composition ID of the source precomp, when this layer is a precomp |
parent_id | AE ID of the parent layer when parented |
Pagination
Both/compositions and /layers support limit and offset query parameters (default limit is 300, max 1000). Use these for templates with large numbers of layers:
Template Status Values
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
awaiting_upload | Template created but file not yet uploaded |
downloading | Template file is being fetched (clean room / remote src) |
processing | File received, introspection in progress |
uploaded | Introspection complete - ready for rendering |
error | Processing failed - see the error field for details |
List All Templates
Update Display Name
UsePATCH /templates/{id} to rename a template. Only displayName can be updated.
Download the Source File
GET /templates/{id}/download returns a presigned URL for downloading the original template file from storage.
Template Storage and Retention
Templates are persisted indefinitely unless deleted manually. Regularly delete old or unused templates to keep your account tidy - useDELETE /templates/{id} or see the Deleting Templates page.
For clean room setups, templates can be stored in secure customer-owned storage rather than on Nexrender’s side. In this case, template introspection (compositions, layers) and caching are not available - your job payloads must reference composition and layer names directly.
API Reference
Authorizations
Bearer token authentication using API tokens for team-based access control.
You can generate your own API token at: https://app.nexrender.com/settings/api-tokens
Path Parameters
Unique template identifier in ULID format
^[0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{26}$Response
Successfully retrieved template metadata
Lightweight template metadata returned by the v3 template API. Composition and layer structure is exposed through separate paginated endpoints.
Unique template identifier used for referencing in jobs and API operations
^[0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{26}$Template file format
aep, zip, mogrt Human-readable template name
Current template processing status
awaiting_upload, downloading, processing, uploaded, error ISO timestamp when the template was created
ISO timestamp when the template was last updated

