GridBank API explained: what a preview actually licenses
By Bejana·· 8 min read
An API changes how footage reaches your team, not what a licence covers. Teams that conflate the two end up with a rough cut full of watermarked previews, a launch date, and no licensed masters.
What the GridBank Partner API does
According to docs.gridbank.io/partner (checked October 2026), the Partner API covers catalog search, licensing and downloads, so a team can pull clips into its own tooling instead of using the web app. It is not available on every plan — check your plan or ask GridBank before building against it.
That is a reasonable API scope. The important detail is what sits behind each endpoint: search returns candidates, licensing creates a right, and download returns a file.
Why search results are watermarked previews, not licences
Search results come back with preview assets — low-resolution or watermarked — so you can evaluate footage without receiving a usable master. A preview is a shopping aid. It carries no right to publish, and its watermark is the proof of that.
This is where a surprising number of teams get caught: an editor cuts a strong rough cut entirely from previews, the client approves it, and nobody notices until someone asks for the clean file.
What happens when you download a clip you have not licensed
The download endpoint checks entitlement. If your account has not licensed that clip, the request is refused — you get an error, not a master file. The API is not a way around the licence; it is a way to reach the licence.
The same is true on the web side of any library, Bejana included. Downloading is the point at which the right is granted and recorded.
A preview-to-license workflow that works
- 01Rough-cut with previews. Search, shortlist, and edit timing and structure with watermarked assets. Do not colour-grade previews.
- 02Lock the finalists. Once the cut is approved internally, note every clip that survived and how long it is on screen.
- 03License only the finalists. This is where cost control happens — licensed clips should be the ones in the edit, not the ones in the bin.
- 04Swap in clean masters. Relink the timeline to licensed files. Check the cut at full resolution before sending to the client.
- 05Log the licences. Clip ID, licence reference, rights type, expiry. Attach it to the project folder, not to an email thread.
Does Bejana have an API?
Not yet. There is no public Bejana API, so integrations with a DAM or an internal tool need manual downloads for now. We would rather say that plainly than imply something that is not shipped.
What Bejana does provide is the workflow above without the API step: browse, licence by downloading, and use the clip under a lifetime licence on every plan, from $19/month. If programmatic access is a hard requirement for your team, GridBank's Partner API is a legitimate reason to choose them — see Bejana vs GridBank for the full picture.
Related: what a clip really costs and the licence questions that matter.
Frequently asked questions
Does GridBank have an API?+
Yes. GridBank documents a Partner API at docs.gridbank.io/partner covering catalog search, licensing and downloads, as of October 2026. It is not included on every plan, so confirm with GridBank before building against it.
Can I use a watermarked preview in an ad?+
No. Previews exist so you can evaluate footage. They carry no publication right and the watermark makes that visible. You need a licensed master before publishing anything.
Does Bejana have an API?+
Not yet. Bejana has no public API today, so downloads are manual. Every downloaded clip still carries a lifetime licence on all plans.
How do I avoid licensing clips I never use?+
Rough-cut with previews first, lock the finalists, then license only those clips. Licensing on the way out of the edit rather than on the way in is the simplest cost control there is.
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