Geoserver REST API: Duplicate layer name

Question

Using the web admin page, I created two layers in different workspace but with the same name:

In the admin view I see something as this

Workspace Store Layer Name
WK1 PostGIS1 mylayer
WK2 PostGIS2 mylayer

All works very well, except when I try to access the properties of these layers with Geoserver REST API.

/layers.xml give me something like:

<layer><name>mylayer</name><atom:link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:8080/geoserver/rest/layers/mylayer.xml" type="application/xml"/></layer>
<layer><name>mylayer</name><atom:link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:8080/geoserver/rest/layers/mylayer.xml" type="application/xml"/></layer>

Two identical entries! And when I ask for the layer with /layers/mylayer.xml I only get the properties of the first...

How can I access the properties of the second layer with the REST API? Can it be done or it's a limitation or a bug of the REST API?

• jeb: I'm using Geoserver 2.4.4, but haven't seen any differences in the REST API documentation in version 2.6

Answer 1

Could be - it would be useful if /geoserver/rest/layers returned the workspace qualified names, such as:

<layer><name>mylayer</name><atom:link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:8080/geoserver/rest/layers/WK1:mylayer.xml" type="application/xml"/></layer>
<layer><name>mylayer</name><atom:link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:8080/geoserver/rest/layers/WK2:mylayer.xml" type="application/xml"/></layer>

The GeoServer relationship between workspace, stores, and layers (featureType resource in REST API) confuses me a bit.

If you just want to access the second layer, try using the workspace qualifier:

http://localhost:8080/geoserver/rest/layers/WK1:mylayer

(I'm using GeoServer 2.5.1)

This is similar to the questions:

• Given a layer, what is its workspace?
• How do I find all layers in a workspace?

Best...

• jeb: You're right, the command with the workspace qualifier works. Thanks.