# Getting started

This guide will walk you through authentication, making your first request, and best practices for secure API usage.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

- A Pave account with API access enabled
- A tool for making HTTP requests (cURL, Postman, or a programming language)
- A secure place to store your API credentials


Note: To generate API Keys, make sure to enable the Permission for Admins to be able to generate an API key in the Settings > Roles & Permissions Tab in the Pave App.

## Step 1: Generate your API key

Your API key is your authentication credential for all API requests.

1. Log into your Pave account
2. Navigate to **Settings** > **Connections**
3. Click **Generate API Key**
4. **Important**: Copy and save your key immediately - it won't be shown again!



```bash
# Your API key will look like this:
3A8F92C4-7B2E-4D6F-9E1C-48DA3F5B8C91_kRmNpXvQ9Hs2wLyTbJfZgUaE5M7CnV4D
```

**Security Tip**: Treat your API key like a password. Never share it publicly or commit it to version control.

## Step 2: Create a test request

Verify your API key is working with a simple ping request:

cURL

```bash
curl -X GET https://api.pave.com/ping \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Python

```python
import requests

# Store your API key securely
API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
BASE_URL = 'https://api.pave.com'

# Create a session for reusable configuration
session = requests.Session()
session.headers.update({'x-api-key': API_KEY})

# Test the connection
response = session.get(f'{BASE_URL}/ping')
print(response.json())
```

JavaScript

```javascript
const axios = require('axios');

// Configure axios instance
const paveAPI = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://api.pave.com',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
  }
});

// Test the connection
async function testConnection() {
  try {
    const response = await paveAPI.get('/ping');
    console.log('Connection successful:', response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Connection failed:', error.message);
  }
}

testConnection();
```

Expected response:


```json
{
  message: "pong"
}
```

## Next steps

Now that you've successfully authenticated and made your first API calls:

1. Explore the [API Reference](/apis) for all available endpoints
2. Check out [Use cases](/guides/use-cases) to see how the broader Pave community uses the API


**You're ready!** Congratulations, you've successfully set up the Pave API and made your first requests. Happy coding!