Getting Started with MSDN API Reference

Welcome to the MSDN API Reference documentation. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to start integrating with our powerful APIs.

1. Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

2. Obtaining API Credentials

To access the MSDN APIs, you need to obtain an API key or register an application to get OAuth 2.0 credentials. Follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the MSDN Developer Dashboard.
  2. Log in with your Microsoft Account.
  3. Click on "Create New Application" or "Register an App".
  4. Provide the required details for your application, including a name, description, and redirect URIs if applicable for OAuth.
  5. Upon successful registration, you will be issued your API credentials. Keep these secure and do not share them publicly.
Important: For OAuth 2.0, you'll receive a Client ID and Client Secret. For simpler API key access, you'll be provided with a single API key. Refer to the Authentication section for detailed instructions on how to use these credentials.

3. Making Your First API Request

Once you have your credentials, you can start making requests to our API endpoints. Here's a basic example of how to fetch data using a GET request:

Example: Fetching User Profile Data (Illustrative)

This example assumes you've obtained an API key and are making a request to a hypothetical user profile endpoint.

Using cURL

curl -X GET \ 'https://api.msdn.microsoft.com/v1/users/me' \ -H 'Authorization: ApiKey YOUR_API_KEY' \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json'

Using JavaScript (Fetch API)

async function getUserProfile() {
    const apiKey = 'YOUR_API_KEY';
    const url = 'https://api.msdn.microsoft.com/v1/users/me';

    try {
        const response = await fetch(url, {
            method: 'GET',
            headers: {
                'Authorization': `ApiKey ${apiKey}`,
                'Content-Type': 'application/json'
            }
        });

        if (!response.ok) {
            throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
        }

        const data = await response.json();
        console.log('User Profile:', data);
        return data;
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error fetching user profile:', error);
    }
}

getUserProfile();

Remember to replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

4. Understanding API Responses

Our APIs typically return data in JSON format. Successful requests will return a 200 OK status code, along with the requested data. Error responses will include appropriate HTTP status codes (e.g., 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 404 Not Found, 500 Internal Server Error) and a JSON body containing an error message.

Example Success Response

{ "id": "user-12345", "displayName": "Jane Doe", "email": "jane.doe@example.com", "status": "active" }

Example Error Response

{ "error": { "code": "Unauthorized", "message": "Invalid API key provided." } }

Next Steps

Now that you've made your first request, explore the following sections to dive deeper: