To start using our API, first obtain your API key from the dashboard. All requests must use HTTPS and include your key in the Authorization header.

🔑 Quick Start:

1. Get API key from dashboard → Settings → API
2. Make test call to https://api.example.com/v1/test
3. Check response for successful authentication

📋 Required Headers:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/json

💡 Test Integration:

curl -X GET "https://api.example.com/v1/test" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
     -H "Accept: application/json"

We support Bearer token authentication using API keys, with optional OAuth 2.0 for user-context operations.

🔐 Authentication Methods:

1. API Key (Recommended)

   • Generate in dashboard
   • Include in Authorization header
   • Different keys for test/prod

2. OAuth 2.0 (User Context)

   • Authorization Code flow
   • Refresh token support
   • 2-hour access token lifetime

⚠️ Security Requirements:

• HTTPS only
• Keys must be kept secure
• Rotate keys every 90 days
• Invalid keys blocked after 10 fails

Example OAuth Flow:

1. Redirect to: /oauth/authorize
2. User approves access
3. Receive code at redirect_uri
4. Exchange code for tokens
5. Use access_token in requests

Our API is available at https://api.example.com/v1/ with explicit versioning in the URL path. All API versions are maintained for 12 months after deprecation notice.

🌐 Environment URLs:

• Production: https://api.example.com/v1/
• Sandbox: https://sandbox-api.example.com/v1/
• Development: https://dev-api.example.com/v1/

📚 Version Support:

• Current: v1 (stable)
• Beta: v2 (preview)
• Deprecated: none

⚠️ Version Lifecycle:

1. Active: Full support
2. Deprecated: 12 months notice
3. Sunset: Endpoint removed

Version headers also supported: Accept: application/vnd.company.v1+json

All errors return appropriate HTTP status codes and a consistent JSON error object. Always check the error_code for programmatic handling.

🚨 Error Response Format:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "invalid_resource",
    "message": "Resource not found",
    "details": {...},
    "request_id": "req_123"
  }
}

📋 Common Status Codes:

• 400: Bad Request
• 401: Unauthorized
• 403: Forbidden
• 404: Not Found
• 429: Too Many Requests
• 500: Server Error

💡 Best Practices:

• Always log request_id
• Handle rate limits (429)
• Implement retry logic
• Check error_code not message

Implement exponential backoff with jitter for failed requests. Always retry 429 (rate limit) and 5xx errors, but not 4xx errors.

⚡ Retry Strategy:

const backoff = (attempt) => {
  return Math.min(1000 * Math.pow(2, attempt), 10000)
    + Math.random() * 1000;
}

📋 Retry Rules:

1. Max 3 retries
2. Don't retry 4xx (except 429)
3. Add jitter to prevent thundering herd
4. Respect Retry-After header

🔄 Retryable Status Codes:

• 429: Rate Limited
• 500: Server Error
• 502: Bad Gateway
• 503: Service Unavailable
• 504: Gateway Timeout

Optimize your integration by using bulk endpoints, implementing caching, and monitoring rate limits proactively.

🚀 Performance Tips:

1. Use Bulk Endpoints

   • /v1/users/batch instead of multiple single calls
   • Max 100 items per request
   • Parallel processing for large datasets

2. Implement Caching

   • Honor Cache-Control headers
   • Store immutable data
   • Cache user preferences

3. Connection Management

   • Keep-alive connections
   • Connection pooling
   • DNS caching

📊 Monitoring Best Practices:

• Track rate limit usage
• Monitor error rates
• Log request_ids
• Set up alerts

Authentication errors (401/403) usually indicate invalid or expired credentials. Check these common causes first.

🔍 Common Causes:

1. Invalid API Key

   • Check key format
   • Verify environment (test/prod)
   • Check key restrictions

2. Missing Headers

   • Authorization header required
   • Check header format
   • Case-sensitive values

3. Expired Tokens

   • OAuth tokens expired
   • Refresh token invalid
   • Check token lifetime

🛠️ Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Verify key in dashboard
2. Check request headers
3. Test in Postman/curl
4. Check permissions