Where is the API key or token from my cURL command stored, and is it safe?

Any key or token in your cURL command is stored in your macOS Keychain, and Orbl calls the endpoint directly from your Mac. Nothing routes through an Orbl server, so your credentials and the responses never touch anyone else's infrastructure — the request leaves your machine, hits your API, and the result lands on your wallpaper.

How often does the custom API widget refresh its value?

Orbl re-calls the endpoint on its own in the background and updates the value automatically. You paste the cURL command once, and the number keeps itself current with no manual refresh.

Is the custom API widget free, or do I need Orbl Premium?

The custom API widget is part of Orbl Premium, a one-time purchase with no subscription — $29 for the first 50 licenses, then $49, lifetime. One key unlocks this and every other integration.

What kind of endpoint can I put on my wallpaper?

Any GET endpoint that returns JSON. Paste the cURL command, drill into the response, and pick the field you want — Orbl displays that value as a widget. It's the catch-all for tools Orbl doesn't support natively.

Custom API Widget for Your Mac

Some numbers matter only to you — a count from your own backend, a metric from a tool Orbl doesn't natively support. With the custom "Any" API widget, you can put almost any value from a GET endpoint onto your wallpaper — paste a cURL command, pick the JSON you care about, name it, done.

This is the most flexible widget Orbl offers. If a service returns JSON over a GET request, you can probably show it.

What Orbl shows from a custom API

Any JSON value you choose — drill into the response, select the field you want, and Orbl displays it as a widget.

You decide the label, the size (small, medium, large), and whether it's always-on, reveals on hover, or stays off. Add several values from the same endpoint, or wire up several endpoints — each becomes its own widget on your desktop.

How to connect a custom API to Orbl

Get a cURL command for the GET endpoint you want — most API docs give you one to copy.
Open Orbl → Settings → Integrations and paste the full cURL command.
Orbl reads the JSON response and lets you pick the value you want to show.
Name it, choose a size and reveal style, and place it on your wallpaper.
It appears within seconds and refreshes on its own.

A quick example

Say you run a small service and want today's signup count on your wallpaper. You'd paste something like:

curl https://api.example.com/v1/stats \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your-read-only-token>"

Orbl reads the response, you pick the signups_today field from the JSON, name it "Signups today," and it's on your desktop. The same approach works for an order count, a queue depth, a follower number — anything a GET endpoint will return.

100% local, by design

Any key or token in your cURL command is stored in your macOS Keychain, and Orbl calls the endpoint directly from your Mac. Nothing routes through an Orbl server — there isn't one — so your credentials and responses never touch anyone else's infrastructure. See our privacy approach.

That's especially reassuring for a widget pointed at your own backend: the request leaves your machine, hits your API, and the result lands on your wallpaper. No third party in the loop.

Pay once, keep it forever

The custom API widget is part of Orbl Premium — a one-time purchase, lifetime, no subscription. The first 50 licenses are $29, then $49. You pay once and own it, and the flexibility is yours for good.

Use it to fill the gaps

The custom widget is the catch-all for tools Orbl doesn't support natively. Use it alongside the dedicated GitHub and RSS widgets to round out your live wallpaper dashboard, and browse all Orbl integrations to see what's already built in.

Got an endpoint and a number worth watching? Get Orbl Premium and put it on your wallpaper in a minute.

Put any API value on your wallpaper