A reading path through our API docs: from the first request to a finished integration

WhatsApp & APIs·· 13 views· 3 min read

The short answer: you do not have to read the whole documentation. For an integration that works and does not break at the first problem, eight stops are enough, in this order. The first five are the same for any project; the rest depend on what you are automating.

The path, stop by stop

1 Get started with the API: check that the API responds with GET /v1/ping, which needs no key, and see the response format.
2 Authentication and keys: how the key goes in the Authorization header and what sets a sandbox_ key apart from a prod_ key.
3 Permissions: pick only the ones your program needs, area by area.
4 API rules: errors, limits, pagination, retries with Idempotency-Key and the Sandbox and Production modes. This is the page that separates a program that works from one that fails at the first hiccup.
5 The page of the area you will use, in the Areas group of the menu: it gives the permission you need and every operation with examples.
6 Playground: try the operations with a sandbox_ key before you write any code.
7 Key and status: the operations your program can call to check the connection, see its limits and follow long-running operations.
8 Production: once everything works, create a prod_ key with the minimum permissions. The "Going to production" section of the API rules says what changes.

Where to start, depending on the project

If you want to... Read first
Show prices and plans on your website Catalog
Send SMS from your system SMS
Send emails from your application Email Center
Manage DNS records DNS
Open support tickets from another system Support
Check and pay invoices with credit Invoices and credit
Know whether a slow operation has finished Key and status
Do not skip the API rules. A program that repeats a purchase without Idempotency-Key, that does not wait after a 429, or that reads only the first page of a list causes problems the reference alone will not explain.
From day one, keep the key in an environment variable called RLX_API_KEY: it is the one every example in the documentation reads, so you can copy them without changing anything. See the code examples.

The first step takes a minute and needs no key.

Get started with the API

SEE ALSO

How our API documentation is organised: Get started, Areas, API reference and Playground

The API Playground: trying a real request from your browser, step by step

Code examples in our API docs: curl, PHP, Python and JavaScript, ready to copy and adapt

Reading one API operation in our docs: permission, parameters, examples, responses and errors

Sending SMS through the API: key, permissions, Sandbox and your first request

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