The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) provides open ecological data from over 80 locations across the United States. These data are available both on the NEON data portal and through the NEON Application Programming Interface (API). The API allows direct programmatic access to data and metadata in the NEON database, enabling automation and instantaneous updating of code and models. Come to this workshop to learn to navigate the NEON API. NEON scientists will demonstrate how to use the API, focusing on access via the R package httr, but also covering the general API structure. Attendees are encouraged to bring laptops and code along with the demonstration. Basic familiarity with R is recommended; no previous experience with APIs needed. The demonstration materials will also be made available online.