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

# Developer Setup

> Get your API key and make your first API call.

## Get your API key

All API requests are authenticated with a project-scoped API key.

1. Open your project in the [Cloudsquid platform](https://app.cloudsquid.io).
2. Go to **Settings** → **API Keys**.
3. Click **Generate New Key**, give it a name, and copy it immediately — it won't be shown again.

<Note>
  Keep your API key secret. Do not commit it to source control. Use environment variables in production.
</Note>

## Authentication

Every request requires your API key in the `X-API-Key` header.

<Info>
  **Base URL:** `https://api.cloudsquid.io/api`
</Info>

## Your first API call

List all projects in your organisation — a simple read-only call to confirm everything is working.

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  response = requests.get(
      "https://api.cloudsquid.io/api/projects",
      headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
  )
  print(response.json())
  # [{"id": "...", "name": "my-project", "created_at": "..."}]
  ```

  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl https://api.cloudsquid.io/api/projects \
    -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
  ```
</CodeGroup>

A `200` response with a JSON array confirms your key is valid and your organisation has at least one project.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Core Concepts" icon="book-open" href="/concepts/table-types">
    Understand table types, pipelines, and the async run pattern before building your integration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    Full endpoint reference with request and response schemas.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>