Getting Started with APIs
To use the Open World platform APIs you must create one or more API clients. An API client is like a password-protected user account – essentially, it establishes that the software making an API request belongs to you (Authentication), and allows you limit the types of APIs requests each client can make (Authorization).
Create an API Client
You can create and manage your API clients in the Console.
Steps:
- Log in to your existing account, or set up a new user account and provide the required basic information about your business
- (Optional) create a new Partner Account to use for testing
- Select & configure the product you want to use
- Request an API Client (use the ‘+’ icon in the lower left corner)
You can create as many API clients as you need. Each client can be granted specific permissions, allowing you to limit what each of your software services can do on the Open World platform.
Select Products and Scopes
All API clients operate within a single Partner Account. You can select and configure multiple products under a single Partner Account, and all configured products will be listed when you create a new client. You can create a single API client and grant it access to one or more of the products in the Partner Account.
Each product defines a set of “scopes” that grant access to certain request types. The scopes you assign to an API client control what that client is authorized to do. If you have multiple software services making API requests, create a separate API client for each service, and select only the scopes that each API client will need.
Copy the Client Credentials
Each API client is given a key and a secret for authentication, analogous to a username and password. The credentials are displayed only at the time that the client is created so you will need to copy and store them before you proceed.
Be sure to secure your API client credentials! Do not store your client id or secret in publicly accessible areas such as GitHub, client-side code, etc.
Start Exploring!
If you just want to try out APIs in the API Explorer you are ready to go - you can enter API client key (client_id) and secret directly in the API Explorer UI using the “Authorize” button.
To learn how to embed an API client in your software, read the next section.