Raw API Snapshots
Android · archival-grade export
Raw API Snapshot is a separate Health.md for Android export product for migration and archival workflows. It creates one immutable, versioned JSON or NDJSON artifact per selected range. The artifact preserves native records.
What a raw snapshot is
Section titled “What a raw snapshot is”Compatibility exports convert Health Connect records into readable daily HealthData summaries. A raw snapshot skips that conversion entirely:
- Health Connect snapshots preserve every field that the pinned AndroidX API exposes. These fields include native identity, metadata, timestamps, source offsets, enum values, nested samples, stages, routes, and planned-workout structures.
- Fitbit, Oura, WHOOP, and Withings snapshots preserve the exact successful provider response bytes and disclose endpoint pagination and server-side aggregation. Providers that are not supported are reported rather than normalized or silently replaced with Health Connect data.
- Every artifact ends with a manifest containing per-type status, issues, counts, and checksums. Folder exports also receive a
.sha256sidecar.
A raw snapshot is API-complete for the app’s pinned provider API. It is not a transactional provider-database backup. It cannot recover inaccessible or deleted records. It also cannot recover unexposed original units or fields that the installed SDK does not know.
Preview before destination
Section titled “Preview before destination”Raw snapshots can be previewed without a configured destination. Preview performs the full provider-native read into private no-backup storage, keeps only bounded head/tail text in memory, and deletes the temporary artifact without uploading anything.
Delivery rules
Section titled “Delivery rules”Raw API uploads are deliberately stricter than compatibility API exports:
| Rule | Reason |
|---|---|
| HTTPS only | The streamed artifact never travels in plaintext |
| Redirects rejected | The artifact and credentials can never be replayed to another origin |
| Schema, export, and checksum headers | The receiving endpoint can verify what it accepted |
| Temporary private artifact deleted after the attempt | No copy lingers on device |
Incremental archives
Section titled “Incremental archives”The separately versioned healthmd.raw-changes backend uses Health Connect change tokens and deletion tombstones. This supports future incremental archives as an alternative to full snapshots.
Requirements
Section titled “Requirements”- Health.md for Android with the Raw API Snapshot product.
- Health Connect permissions for the selected record types, or a connected Fitbit, Oura, WHOOP, or Withings account for provider snapshots.
- An HTTPS endpoint if you upload snapshots. Local folder export has no transport requirements.