---
title: "Create an external location"
method: POST
path: "/external-locations"
tags: ["External Locations"]
---

# Create an external location

`POST /external-locations`

## Request

- Base URL: `http://localhost:8080/api/2.1/unity-catalog`
- URL: `http://localhost:8080/api/2.1/unity-catalog/external-locations`
- Auth: none declared

Creates a new external location entry in the metastore. The caller must be a metastore admin to be able to create external locations.

## Request body

- CreateExternalLocation
  - `name` string, required: Name of the external location.
  - `url` string, required: Path URL of the external location.
  - `credential_name` string, required: Name of the storage credential used with this location.
  - `comment` string: User-provided free-form text description.

## Response `200`

The new external location was successfully created.

- ExternalLocationInfo
  - `name` string: Name of the external location.
  - `id` string: Unique identifier for the external location.
  - `url` string: Path URL of the external location.
  - `credential_name` string: Name of the storage credential used with this location.
  - `comment` string: User-provided free-form text description.
  - `owner` string: The owner of the external location.
  - `credential_id` string: Unique ID of the location's storage credential.
  - `created_at` integer: Time at which this external location was created, in epoch milliseconds.
  - `created_by` string: Username of external location creator.
  - `updated_at` integer: Time at which external location this was last modified, in epoch milliseconds.
  - `updated_by` string: Username of user who last modified the external location.

## Changes

- **2026-01-06** `b6821a550f7f`: 1 info
  - added the optional property `id` to the response with the `200` status
- **2025-03-24** `ed1fa6308c2f`: 1 info
  - endpoint added

[Operation history](https://skmtc.dev/unitycatalog/apis/unity-catalog-api/changes/external-locations/post.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/unitycatalog/apis/unity-catalog-api.md) - [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/unitycatalog/apis/unity-catalog-api/llms.txt) - [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/unitycatalog/apis/unity-catalog-api/revisions/c84507f0d7e0?raw)