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

# Making Your First Request

> Send your first request to the Busha API.

Welcome to the exciting part - sending your first API request to Busha! This tutorial will guide you through making a simple **GET** request to retrieve your account's wallet balances. Completing this will confirm your setup is correct and you're ready to integrate with Busha's services.

<Tip>
  **What You'll Achieve:**

  * Successfully sent an authenticated request to the Busha API.

  * Retrieve your current wallet balances.

  * Confirm your API keys are working correctly.
</Tip>

## Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

* A Busha Business Account (from the [Quick Start Guide](/guides/getting-started/quick-start)).

* Your Secret API Key copied and securely stored (from the Quick Start Guide).

## How to make your First Request

<Steps>
  <Step title="Understand the API Environment">
    Busha provides different environments for testing and live operations. For this first request, we'll focus on your Sandbox environment if you're testing, or Production if your account is fully approved.

    * Sandbox (Testing Environment): [`https://api.sandbox.busha.so`](https://api.sandbox.busha.so)

    <Note>
      You can create a [sandbox account](./setup-sandbox) from the Sandbox business registration page using the same steps from the [Quick Start](./quick-start) guide. Sandbox personal accounts require 2FA, and businesses are automatically verified.
    </Note>

    * Live (Production Environment): [`https://api.busha.co`](https://api.busha.co)

    <Note>
      For your first successful test, we recommend using the Sandbox environment if your account isn't fully verified for production yet. This ensures you can test without affecting live data.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Up Authorization">
    All requests to the Busha API require authentication using your Secret API Key. You'll include this key in the Authorization header of your requests using a Bearer token.

    The `Authorization: Bearer {your_secret_api_key}` header tells the Busha API who is making the request, ensuring it's coming from your verified business account.

    Keep your Secret API Key handy. You'll replace {your_secret_api_key} in the upcoming command, with your actual key.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Make Your First GET Request">
    Now, let's retrieve your wallet balances using a curl command. This is a basic GET request, meaning we are simply asking for information from the API.

    To make your first GET request:

    1. Open your terminal or command prompt

    2. Copy the curl command below

    ```bash theme={null}
        $ curl -X GET "YOUR_BASE_URL/v1/balances" \
          -H "Authorization: Bearer {YOUR_SECRET_API_KEY}" \
          -H "Content-Type: application/json"
    ```

    Replace YOUR\_BASE\_URL with your desired API environment and YOUR\_SECRET\_API\_KEY with your secret API key.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the Response">
    After executing the curl command, the Busha API will send back a response.

    A successful response will return a JSON object containing an array of your wallet balances. It should look something like this (actual values will vary):

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "status": "success",
      "message": "Fetched balances successfully",
      "data": [
        {
          "id": "96da4899-ff99-4821-88df-5182b8d37300",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "GHS",
          "name": "Cedi",
          "type": "fiat",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "GHS"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "GHS"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "GHS"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "05320e5e-a8ff-48e4-ac0b-23f7b1aa14d7",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "KES",
          "name": "Shilling",
          "type": "fiat",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "KES"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "KES"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "KES"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "960ab09d-cd55-4118-8b6e-c12b340efec3",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "NGN",
          "name": "Naira",
          "type": "fiat",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "NGN"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "NGN"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "NGN"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "1ebeabb4-6e4f-449f-8c0f-18a9c9d9187a",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "USD",
          "name": "US Dollar",
          "type": "fiat",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USD"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USD"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USD"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "bc1dfeae-055e-4d4e-a583-0c8030e5a1cd",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "BTC",
          "name": "Bitcoin",
          "type": "crypto",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "BTC"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "BTC"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "BTC"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "b8dbf5e4-4d1f-4489-81fe-2a5e1e9816e1",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "ETH",
          "name": "Ethereum",
          "type": "crypto",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "ETH"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "ETH"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "ETH"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "ec5744b6-ab06-4180-b354-e672b9a5f30a",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "USDC",
          "name": "USD Coin",
          "type": "crypto",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USDC"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USDC"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USDC"
          }
        },
        {
          "id": "fb891621-0b15-45f5-9b81-ea3995cbf891",
          "profile_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "user_id": "BUS_jlKUYwF9z1ynQZ98bWbaP",
          "currency": "USDT",
          "name": "USD Token",
          "type": "crypto",
          "available": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USDT"
          },
          "pending": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USDT"
          },
          "total": {
            "amount": "0",
            "currency": "USDT"
          }
        }
      ],
      "pagination": {
        "current_entries_size": 8
      }
    }
    ```

    If you see a `"status": "success"` and data about your accounts, congratulations! You've successfully made your first request.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

* **Unauthorized request or 401 error:** Double-check that you replaced `{YOUR_SECRET_API_KEY}` with your actual Secret API Key, and ensure there are no extra spaces or characters.

* **Resource Not Found or 404 error:** Verify the base URL is correct (Sandbox vs. Live) and the endpoint path (`/v1/balances`) is accurate.

* **No response:** Check your internet connection and ensure curl is correctly installed and accessible in your terminal.

## What's Next?

Now that you've successfully made your first API request, you can:

* Explore more API functionalities and endpoints in the Sandbox Environment.

* Refer to the Busha API Reference for comprehensive details on all available endpoints, request bodies, and responses.

* Move on to more specific tasks by checking out our [How-to Guides](../).