Importing Updates

Import existing Markdown- and HTML-formatted product updates into Featurebase through the API.

Written By Robi Rohumaa

Last updated 5 days ago

Overview

Import your existing release notes into Featurebase to keep your full product history in one place. This gives customers useful context from day one instead of starting with an empty Updates page.

Imported Updates are saved as drafts, so you can review the content, categories, targeting, and date before publishing anything.

👨‍💻 You'll need to write custom code for the setup process. If you're uncomfortable with this, share this guide with a technical team member who can assist.

Import Updates

1. Prepare your source data

Export the information you want to keep from your current tool:

  • Title

  • Body content as Markdown or HTML

  • Original publish date

  • Categories

  • Featured image URL

  • Language

  • Segment IDs for restricted Updates

Before importing, create any missing categories:

  1. Go to Settings → Outbound → Updates

  2. Click Add category

  3. Enter a name and choose a color

  4. Click Add Category

The API can assign existing categories but does not create them.

2. Get your API key

  1. Go to Settings → Developers → API

  2. Create or copy an API key

  3. Store it securely and use it from server-side code or a trusted migration script

Never expose your API key in browser code, public repositories, or client-side apps.

3. Choose Markdown or HTML

Use markdownContent when your source content is Markdown. Featurebase converts it to HTML during the import.

Use htmlContent when your source already contains HTML or you need to preserve richer formatting. Images referenced in the content and the featuredImage URL are uploaded to Featurebase.

Send only one content field for each Update.

4. Import Updates through the API

Send one request to the legacy POST /v2/changelogs endpoint for each Update. The public API uses “Changelog” naming for Update endpoints and fields.

POST /v2/changelogs

Each request requires:

  • title

  • Either markdownContent or htmlContent

You can also include:

  • categories

  • featuredImage

  • date

  • locale

  • allowedSegmentIds

Example:

{
  "title": "New billing dashboard",
  "markdownContent": "We shipped a new billing dashboard with clearer usage data.",
  "categories": ["New", "Improved"],
  "featuredImage": "https://example.com/billing-dashboard.png",
  "date": "2024-04-15",
  "locale": "en"
}

5. Review and publish imported Updates

After the import:

  1. Go to Dashboard → Outbound

  2. Open an imported draft

  3. Review the content and delivery settings

  4. Publish the Update when ready

Importing an Update does not send an email. You can choose whether to notify subscribers when you publish the draft.

What is not imported

The API creates the Update content and its publishing settings. It does not migrate analytics, comments, reactions, subscriber lists, or email delivery history from your previous tool.

Import subscriber emails separately using the legacy subscriber endpoint.

FAQs