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

# Quickstart

> Get started with the Bouncy.ai API in under 5 minutes

## Get Your API Key

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign up for a Growth plan or higher">
    API access requires a [Growth plan](https://bouncy.ai/pricing) or higher (\$35/month).

    If you're already on a Growth, Scaling, or Dominance plan, you're ready to go!
  </Step>

  <Step title="Navigate to the API Dashboard">
    Go to [bouncy.ai/api/dashboard](https://bouncy.ai/api/dashboard) and log in to your account.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create an API Key">
    Click **"Create New Key"**, give it a name (e.g., "Production API Key"), and click **Create**.

    <Warning>
      **Save your API key securely!** You'll only see the full key once. Store it in a password manager or environment variable.
    </Warning>

    Your API key will look like this:

    ```
    bcy_live_pk_1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Make Your First API Call

Let's create your first short link using the API.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X POST https://api.bouncy.ai/v1/links \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer bcy_live_pk_YOUR_API_KEY" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "url": "https://example.com/welcome",
      "slug": "welcome",
      "title": "Welcome Page",
      "tags": ["onboarding", "test"]
    }'
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  const response = await fetch('https://api.bouncy.ai/v1/links', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer bcy_live_pk_YOUR_API_KEY',
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      url: 'https://example.com/welcome',
      slug: 'welcome',
      title: 'Welcome Page',
      tags: ['onboarding', 'test']
    })
  });

  const link = await response.json();
  console.log('Short link created:', link.shortUrl);
  ```

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

  response = requests.post(
      'https://api.bouncy.ai/v1/links',
      headers={
          'Authorization': 'Bearer bcy_live_pk_YOUR_API_KEY',
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      json={
          'url': 'https://example.com/welcome',
          'slug': 'welcome',
          'title': 'Welcome Page',
          'tags': ['onboarding', 'test']
      }
  )

  link = response.json()
  print(f"Short link created: {link['shortUrl']}")
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Expected Response

```json theme={null}
{
  "id": "link_abc123xyz",
  "shortUrl": "https://bouncy.ai/welcome",
  "slug": "welcome",
  "destination": "https://example.com/welcome",
  "title": "Welcome Page",
  "tags": ["onboarding", "test"],
  "domain": "bouncy.ai",
  "createdAt": "2026-02-06T12:00:00Z",
  "enabled": true,
  "clicks": 0
}
```

🎉 **Congratulations!** You've created your first short link via the API.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="List Your Links" icon="list" href="/api-reference/links/list-links">
    Retrieve all your links with pagination and filtering
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get Analytics" icon="chart-line" href="/api-reference/analytics/get-link-analytics">
    Track clicks, geography, and device information
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bulk Create Links" icon="layer-group" href="/api-reference/links/bulk-create">
    Create hundreds of links at once for campaigns
  </Card>

  <Card title="Error Handling" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/guides/error-handling">
    Learn how to handle API errors gracefully
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Rate Limits

Your rate limits depend on your plan:

| Plan      | Requests/Hour | Requests/Day |
| --------- | ------------- | ------------ |
| Growth    | 1,000         | 10,000       |
| Scaling   | 5,000         | 50,000       |
| Dominance | 10,000        | 100,000      |

Rate limit information is included in every API response:

```
X-RateLimit-Limit: 1000
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 999
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1738886400
```

## Need Help?

* Check out our [API Reference](/api-reference) for all available endpoints
* Read the [Error Handling Guide](/guides/error-handling) for common issues
* Email us at [help.bouncy.ai](mailto:help.bouncy.ai)