# Quickstart

> Make an API key and make your first TradeCatalog API calls in five minutes.

You need to be the **owner** of a TradeCatalog workspace with an active subscription, a free trial or a pilot account. Demo workspaces can’t use the API.

## 1. Make an API key

1. Open your workspace and go to **Settings → API**.
2. Give the key a name you’ll recognise later, like “Sage stock sync”.
3. Choose **Read only** to look things up, or **Read & write** to also update products, customers and orders.
4. Choose **Create key** and copy it. It starts with `tc_live_`.

**Copy it now:** We only show a key once, and we only keep a hash of it. If you lose it, revoke it and make a new one.

Put the key in an environment variable so it stays out of your code:

```bash
export TRADECATALOG_API_KEY="tc_live_…"
```

## 2. Check the key works

```bash
curl https://tradecatalog.app/api/v1/workspace \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRADECATALOG_API_KEY"
```

```json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "0b6c1f5e-6f7a-4a57-9a0c-2f4d4c1e8a11",
    "slug": "northgate",
    "name": "Northgate Fixings",
    "currency": "GBP",
    "timezone": "Europe/London",
    "taxLabel": "ex VAT",
    "key": { "name": "Sage stock sync", "scope": "write" }
  }
}
```

## 3. Search products

```bash
curl "https://tradecatalog.app/api/v1/products?q=hinge&limit=2" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRADECATALOG_API_KEY"
```

Money is always in **minor units** of the workspace currency, so `1850` is £18.50. See [Conventions](/docs/api/conventions).

## 4. Get a customer’s price

Pass a customer’s account code (or id) and a SKU:

```bash
curl "https://tradecatalog.app/api/v1/prices?customer=OAK01&sku=HX-8510&qty=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRADECATALOG_API_KEY"
```

```json
{
  "data": {
    "customer": {
      "id": "7d2e4f0a-1b3c-4d5e-8f90-a1b2c3d4e5f6",
      "accountCode": "OAK01",
      "name": "Oakfield Joinery"
    },
    "sku": "HX-8510",
    "name": "Hex bolt M10 x 50 zinc",
    "qty": 10,
    "unit": 1573,
    "line": 15730,
    "list": 1850,
    "discountBp": 1500,
    "source": "brand",
    "label": "Brand discount −15%"
  },
  "currency": "GBP"
}
```

[How prices are worked out](/docs/api/prices) explains `source` and `label`.

## 5. Create or update a product

This needs a **Read & write** key.

```bash
curl -X PUT https://tradecatalog.app/api/v1/products \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TRADECATALOG_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "products": [
      {
        "sku": "HX-8512",
        "name": "Hex bolt M12 x 50 zinc",
        "listPrice": 2240,
        "unitLabel": "Box of 100",
        "brand": "Northgate",
        "category": "Bolts"
      }
    ]
  }'
```

```json
{
  "data": {
    "created": 1,
    "updated": 0,
    "priceChanges": 0,
    "priceChangeId": null,
    "unknownCustomers": []
  }
}
```

New products go live at their list price straight away. If you send a different price for a product that already has one, the price doesn’t change yet. It goes into a draft price change that you review and publish in the app. See [Products](/docs/api/products#create-or-update-products).

## The same in JavaScript

```js
const api = (path, init = {}) =>
  fetch(`https://tradecatalog.app/api/v1${path}`, {
    ...init,
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.TRADECATALOG_API_KEY}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      ...init.headers,
    },
  }).then(async (res) => {
    const body = await res.json()
    if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${body.error.code}: ${body.error.message}`)
    return body
  })

const { data: workspace } = await api('/workspace')
const { data: price } = await api('/prices?customer=OAK01&sku=HX-8510&qty=10')
console.log(`${workspace.name}: ${price.name} is ${price.unit / 100} each`)
```

## Next steps

- [Authentication](/docs/api/authentication): scopes, revoking keys, keeping them safe.
- [Errors](/docs/api/errors): every error code and how to retry.
- [Sync with your ERP](/docs/guides/erp-sync): a complete nightly sync and order poller.
- [OpenAPI](/docs/api/openapi): generate a typed client.