ISO 17978-3:2026

International
Standard
ISO 17978-3
First edition
Road vehicles — Service-oriented
2026-03
vehicle diagnostics (SOVD) —
Part 3:
Application programming interface
(API)
Véhicules routiers — Diagnostic Véhicule Orienté Services
(SOVD) —
Partie 3: Interface de Programmation D’applications (API)
Reference number
© ISO 2026
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Published in Switzerland
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Contents Page
Foreword .vii
Introduction .viii
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms. 3
4.1 Symbols .3
4.2 Abbreviated terms .3
5 SOVD API general aspects . 5
5.1 Use cases overview .5
5.2 Accessing the API .5
5.2.1 HTTP REST based approach .5
5.2.2 Server-sent events .7
5.3 Entities .9
5.3.1 General .9
5.3.2 EntityTypes and collections.10
5.3.3 Entity hierarchy and relations .11
5.3.4 Entity identifier and path . 13
5.3.5 Location of the SOVD server . 13
5.3.6 Multi-SOVD server environments . 13
5.4 Resources .14
5.4.1 General .14
5.4.2 Standardized resource collections .14
5.4.3 Standardized resources . 15
5.4.4 Restricting access to entities and resources by authentication .16
5.4.5 Custom specific resource collections and types .16
5.5 Illustration of SOVD concepts for entities and resources .17
5.6 SOVD API versioning .18
5.7 Internationalization and localization .18
5.7.1 Internationalization .18
5.7.2 Unit definitions .18
5.7.3 Internationalization of enumerations . 20
5.7.4 Other localization topics (numbers and dates) . 20
5.8 Response status codes .21
5.8.1 General .21
5.8.2 Generic definition of status codes .21
5.8.3 Definition of error details . 22
5.8.4 SOVD error codes for common cases. 22
5.9 Common primitive data types . 23
5.10 Definition of JSON schema and objects for vehicle responses .24
5.11 Discovery of the SOVD server for the co-located use case cluster . 26
5.11.1 General concept . 26
5.11.2 Network connection . 26
5.11.3 Address an SOVD server using mDNS. 26
5.11.4 Discovery of the SOVD server using DNS-SD . 26
5.11.5 Example .27
5.12 Discovery of the SOVD server for the remote use case cluster .27
6 Capability description .27
6.1 General .27
6.2 Capability description structure . 28
6.2.1 General . 28
6.2.2 Info object . 28
6.2.3 Path item object . . 28

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6.2.4 Operation object . 30
6.2.5 Schema object . . . 30
6.2.6 Header object .31
6.2.7 Predefined query parameter .31
6.2.8 x-sovd-tags object .32
6.3 Online and offline capability descriptions . 33
6.3.1 General . 33
6.3.2 Offline capability description . 33
6.3.3 Online capability description . 33
6.4 Variant handling in offline capability description . 33
6.4.1 General . 33
6.4.2 Extension: x-sovd-applicability . 34
6.4.3 Usage of x-sovd-applicability by the SOVD client . 35
7 SOVD REST API .36
7.1 General . 36
7.2 Definition of conventions for API methods . 36
7.2.1 Query parameters . 36
7.2.2 Request body . 36
7.3 Timeout definitions . 36
7.4 API methods for access of supported SOVD server versions .37
7.4.1 General .37
7.4.2 Read all supported versions of the SOVD server .37
7.5 API methods for access to capability description content . 38
7.5.1 General . 38
7.5.2 Retrieve online capability description . 39
7.6 API methods for discovery of Entities and resources . 40
7.6.1 General . 40
7.6.2 Query for Entities from an SOVD server . 40
7.6.3 Query for capabilities of an entity . 46
7.7 Enhancement of API methods for tagged Entities and resources . 49
7.7.1 General . 49
7.7.2 Query for tagged Entities and resources . 49
7.7.3 Retrieve tags from entity or a resource . 50
7.7.4 Query for tagged capabilities of an entity.52
7.8 API methods for fault handling . 53
7.8.1 General . 53
7.8.2 Query for faults from an entity . 53
7.8.3 Read a fault resource .57
7.8.4 Delete all faults of an entity .59
7.8.5 Delete single fault of an entity . 60
7.9 API methods for data resource read/write access .61
7.9.1 General .61
7.9.2 Retrieve of data resource categories and groups of an entity .62
7.9.3 Query for data from an entity . 65
7.9.4 Read a data resource .67
7.9.5 Read multiple data values from an entity .70
7.9.6 Write a data resource . 75
7.10 API methods for cyclic-subscriptions . 77
7.10.1 General . 77
7.10.2 Query for cyclic-subscriptions from an entity . 77
7.10.3 Issue a new cyclic-subscription . 78
7.10.4 Retrieve details of a cyclic-subscription . 82
7.10.5 Update a cyclic-subscription . 83
7.10.6 Delete a cyclic-subscription . 84
7.11 API methods for triggers . 85
7.11.1 General . 85
7.11.2 Issue a new trigger . 87
7.11.3 Query for triggers from an entity . 93

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7.11.4 Retrieve details of a trigger . 95
7.11.5 Update a trigger . 96
7.11.6 Delete a trigger . 98
7.11.7 Trigger value reception . 99
7.12 API methods for configuration . . 100
7.12.1 General . 100
7.12.2 Query for configurations from an entity . 100
7.12.3 Read a configuration resource . 102
7.12.4 Write a configuration resource . 105
7.12.5 Reset configuration . . . 108
7.13 API methods for clearing data .110
7.13.1 General .110
7.13.2 Retrieve list of supported clear-data types . 111
7.13.3 Start clearing of data . 112
7.13.4 Retrieve status of clearing data .114
7.14 API methods for control of operations .116
7.14.1 General .116
7.14.2 Ensuring co-located diagnostics .116
7.14.3 Query for operations from an entity.116
7.14.4 Query for executions of an operation . 118
7.14.5 Retrieve details of an operation .119
7.14.6 Start execution of an operation . 122
7.14.7 Read the status of an operation execution . 125
7.14.8 Terminate the execution of an operation . 126
7.14.9 Support for execute / freeze / reset and custom capabilities . 127
7.15 API methods for script execution.129
7.15.1 General .129
7.15.2 Upload a script . 130
7.15.3 Query for scripts from an entity. 132
7.15.4 Retrieve details of a script . 133
7.15.5 Remove a script . 135
7.15.6 Start execution of a script . 136
7.15.7 Query for executions of a Script . 139
7.15.8 Read the status of a script execution . 140
7.15.9 Terminate the script execution .141
7.15.10 Remove the execution of a script .143
7.16 API methods for support of target modes . 144
7.16.1 General . 144
7.16.2 Query for modes of an entity . 144
7.16.3 Retrieve details of a mode. 146
7.16.4 Explicit control of entity states via their defined modes .147
7.16.5 Hint-based control of entity states via their defined modes . 149
7.17 API methods for locking . 149
7.17.1 General . 149
7.17.2 Acquire a lock on an entity . 152
7.17.3 Query for locks of an entity . .154
7.17.4 Retrieve details of a lock . 155
7.17.5 Modify the expiration time of a lock on an entity . 156
7.17.6 Release an acquired lock on an entity . 158
7.18 API methods for software update . 159
7.18.1 General . 159
7.18.2 Query for updates from an entity .161
7.18.3 Retrieve details of an update . 163
7.18.4 Automated installation of an update . 165
7.18.5 Prepare installation of an update. 166
7.18.6 Execute installation of an update . 168
7.18.7 Read the status of an update .170
7.18.8 Delete update package from an SOVD server . 172
7.18.9 Register an update at the SOVD server . 173

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7.19 API methods for restarting an entity .174
7.19.1 General .174
7.19.2 Read the status of an entity . 175
7.19.3 Start an entity .176
7.19.4 Restart an entity . 178
7.19.5 Forced Restart an entity . 179
7.19.6 Shutdown an entity . 180
7.19.7 Forced Shutdown an entity . 181
7.20 API methods for handling of bulk-data . 183
7.20.1 General . 183
7.20.2 Retrieve bulk-data categories of an entity .184
7.20.3 Retrieve details of bulk-data resource . 186
7.20.4 Download and upload bulk-data . 188
7.20.5 Delete bulk-data . 192
7.21 API methods for logging . 194
7.21.1 General . 194
7.21.2 Retrieve resources of an SOVD log . 195
7.21.3 Read log entries from an SOVD log . 196
7.21.4 Configure SOVD log . 199
7.21.5 Retrieve the current SOVD log configuration from an entity .200
7.21.6 Reset SOVD logging configuration to default . 202
7.22 API methods for communication-logs . 203
7.22.1 General . 203
7.22.2 Query for communication-logs from an entity . 203
7.22.3 Configure communication-logs for an entity .204
7.22.4 Read the status of a communication-log . 206
7.22.5 Control a communication-log . 207
7.22.6 Delete communication-log .208
7.23 Authentication of SOVD clients (informative) .210
7.23.1 Online and offline authentication and authorization .210
7.23.2 Securing connectionc . 215
7.23.3 Verifying SOVD client credentials and requesting a token at the backend . 215
7.23.4 Verifying SOVD client credentials . 215
7.23.5 Requesting a token . 216
7.23.6 Request header for access-restricted resources .217
7.23.7 Validating a token . 218
8 Classic diagnostic adapter .218
8.1 General . 218
8.2 Access to UDS based entities . 218
8.3 Specific mapping of UDS services to SOVD modes.219
8.3.1 Mapping of DiagnosticSessionControl (10 ) subfunctions to SOVD modes .219
8.3.2 Mapping of SecurityAccess (27 ) subfunctions to SOVD modes . 220
8.3.3 Mapping of Authentication (29 ) to SOVD modes . 220
8.3.4 Mapping of CommunicationControl (28 ) subfunctions to SOVD modes . 220
8.3.5 Mapping of ControlDTC Setting (85 ) subfunctions to SOVD modes . 220
8.4 Mapping of UDS services to data resources . 220
8.5 Mapping of UDS services to fault resources . 221
8.6 Mapping of UDS services to operation resources . 221
8.6.1 Mapping of Routine (31 ) and InputOutputControlByIdentifier (2F ) services
16 16
to operation resources . 221
8.6.2 DEPRECATED — Mapping of EcuReset service (11 ) to operation resources . 221
8.7 Mapping of EcuReset service (11 ) to restart an entity resource . 221
Annex A (normative) Access to legally required diagnostics .222
Annex B (informative) SOVD API common example .225
Bibliography .235

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Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, Subcommittee SC 31, Data
communication.
A list of all parts in the ISO 17978 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
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ISO 179
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