Basic Usage

This section will guide you through the fundamental operations and common use cases of our service. We'll cover everything you need to get up and running quickly.

1. Initial Setup

Before you can start using the service, ensure you have completed the initial setup. This typically involves:

Creating an account.
Generating an API key or setting up authentication credentials.
Configuring your environment.

Note: Please refer to the Getting Started guide for detailed setup instructions.

2. Performing a Basic Operation

Let's walk through a simple example of how to perform a common operation. For instance, fetching data:

2.1 Making a Request

You can interact with our service using standard HTTP requests. Here’s an example of a GET request:

GET /api/v1/resource
Host: example.com
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

2.2 Understanding the Response

A successful request will typically return a 200 OK status code with the requested data in JSON format.

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "id": 123,
    "name": "Example Item",
    "value": "Some data"
  }
}

Important Information

Always ensure your API key is kept secure. Do not share it publicly or commit it directly into your code repositories.

3. Common Tasks

3.1 Creating a New Resource

To create a new resource, you'll typically use a POST request to the appropriate endpoint.

POST /api/v1/resource
Host: example.com
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "New Item",
  "value": "Data for new item"
}

3.2 Updating an Existing Resource

Use a PUT or PATCH request to modify existing resources. A PUT request usually replaces the entire resource, while PATCH applies partial modifications.

PUT /api/v1/resource/123
Host: example.com
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "value": "Updated data"
}

3.3 Deleting a Resource

To remove a resource, send a DELETE request:

DELETE /api/v1/resource/123
Host: example.com
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Pro Tip

For efficient data retrieval, utilize query parameters to filter and sort your results. Check the API Reference for available parameters.

4. Error Handling

When things don't go as planned, our API provides informative error messages. Common status codes include:

400 Bad Request: The request was malformed or invalid.
401 Unauthorized: Authentication credentials are missing or invalid.
403 Forbidden: You do not have permission to access this resource.
404 Not Found: The requested resource could not be found.
500 Internal Server Error: An unexpected error occurred on the server.

Error responses typically include a JSON body detailing the issue:

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

Understanding these basic operations will enable you to effectively integrate our service into your applications.