---
title: "Sanger Trace Parser"
method: POST
path: "/parse_sanger_trace"
tags: ["Files & formats"]
---

# Sanger Trace Parser

`POST /parse_sanger_trace`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://seqbench.com/api/v1`
- URL: `https://seqbench.com/api/v1/parse_sanger_trace`
- Auth: none required

Decode a Sanger ABIF (.ab1 / .abi) chromatogram: base calls, per-base quality, the four dye-channel traces, peak locations, and the run's own labels (sample name, well, plate, instrument, run start).

## Request body

- object
  - `fileBase64` string, required: The binary ABIF (.ab1 / .abi) trace file, base64-encoded.
  - `fileName` string: Optional original file name (echoed back).
  - `includeTraces` boolean: Include the four raw dye-channel arrays and peakLocations. They are 93% of the response — a 900-base read is 122 kB with them and 8 kB without (measured) — and they are only useful for DRAWING the chromatogram. Everything you would reason about (base calls, quality, the run's labels) is returned either way, so leave this off unless you are rendering.

## Response `200`

Tool ran successfully.

- SuccessResponse: Standard success envelope returned by every single-tool call.
  - `ok` unknown, required
  - `tool` string, required: The tool slug that ran.
  - `result` object, required: Tool-specific output object. Its shape depends on the tool — call `GET /{tool}` or see the docs for each tool's fields.
  - `gate` GateResult
    - `pass` boolean, required: True if and only if every hard check passed.
    - `checks` GateCheck[], required
      - `id` string, required
      - `label` string, required
      - `severity` 'hard' | 'soft', required
      - `pass` boolean, required
      - `message` string, required
      - `value` number
      - `threshold` string
    - `notChecked` string[], required: Honest list of what this gate does NOT verify.
  - `provenance` Provenance, required
    - `apiVersion` string, required
    - `tool` union, required: Tool slug, or an array of slugs (one per step) for a workflow.
      - string
      - string[]
    - `generatedAt` string, date-time, required: ISO 8601 timestamp of when the result was generated.

## Other responses

- `400`: Invalid argument or the tool could not run.
- `404`: Unknown tool.
- `429`: Rate limited (metered tools only). Body carries code `rate_limited` and retryable `true`; honor the Retry-After header.
- `503`: A metered tool is momentarily at capacity. The identical request should succeed after Retry-After; body carries code `upstream_unavailable`.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/seqbench/apis/seqbench-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/seqbench/apis/seqbench-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/seqbench/apis/seqbench-api/revisions/132575216865?raw)