> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dronelist.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Create an API key and make your first request to the dronelist.io API

# Quickstart

This guide walks you through making your first API call to dronelist.io.

## Prerequisites

* A dronelist.io account with an active organization
* An API key (created in **Settings > API Keys**)

## Step 1: Create an API key

Navigate to [Settings > API Keys](https://app.dronelist.io/settings/api-keys) in your dashboard. Click **Create API Key** and select the scopes you need:

| Scope            | Access                                   |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `equipment:read` | Equipment list, details, and flight logs |
| `project:read`   | Project list and details                 |
| `service:read`   | Service list and details                 |

Copy the key — it starts with `dl_` and is only shown once.

## Step 2: Make your first request

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl https://api.dronelist.io/v1/equipment \
    -H "X-API-Key: dl_your_key_here"
  ```

  ```javascript Node.js theme={null}
  const response = await fetch('https://api.dronelist.io/v1/equipment', {
    headers: { 'X-API-Key': 'dl_your_key_here' }
  });

  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  response = requests.get(
      'https://api.dronelist.io/v1/equipment',
      headers={'X-API-Key': 'dl_your_key_here'}
  )

  print(response.json())
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Step 3: Check the response

A successful response looks like:

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "eq_abc123",
      "name": "DJI Matrice 350 RTK",
      "type": "drone",
      "manufacturer": "DJI",
      "model": "Matrice 350 RTK",
      "status": "ACTIVE",
      "serialNumber": "1ZNBJ...",
      "createdAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2025-03-10T14:22:00.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "pagination": {
      "page": 1,
      "limit": 20,
      "total": 5,
      "hasMore": false
    }
  }
}
```

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/docs/authentication">
    Learn about API key scopes and auth methods.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pagination" icon="list" href="/docs/pagination">
    Handle large result sets with pagination.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Error handling" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/docs/errors">
    Understand error codes and how to handle them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="book" href="/docs/api-reference/overview">
    Explore every endpoint in detail.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>