Getting Started

Overview

Getting started with the Astra API follows a simple, four-step process:

1. Create your developer account and generate API keys
2. Create a test user profile
3. Authorize your client with the test user
4. Make a request to the API with an access_token

Optional

To view a code-based walkthrough of the user onboarding happy path see our latest recipe:

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If you have a working Python3 environment, you can copy the code from this recipe and run it to quickly create a user with an access_token.

Create your developer account

You will need an active developer account to use Astra's sandbox API.

Sign up and generate API keys

1. If you haven't already, browse to our Sandbox Dashboard
2. Enter your email and set a password.
3. Enter your first and last name and agree to our Developer Policy and Terms of Service.
4. When you click Create Account you will be taken to the Dashboard panel.
5. On the Dashboard panel fill out the two required fields to generate your application's client_id and client_secret:
   a. Name of your application
   b. Redirect URI for your application (you can change this value via the Dashboard)
6. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page. The page will refresh and reveal a new Keys section which will contain the Client ID and Client Secret for your application.

You now have an active developer account. You can always log into this dashboard again using your email address and password.

You may always return to the dashboard to access your keys. To rotate your keys or edit your redirect URI please contact us.

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Note that Redirect URIs are used to guide Users back to a specific page in your application after exiting our SDK. You may register multiple Redirect URIs through your Developer Dashboard, but it's important to note that Redirect URIs must remain consistent in OAuth URLs when an end-user is navigating through our SDK.

Create a User Intent

To create the authorization required to make a request to the Astra API on behalf of an end user, you will need a test user profile. You can follow this process to create one.

Creating a user intent

1. Create a new user intent following the steps outlined in our guide to testing in the sandbox environment.

Authorize your client with the test user

The majority of the endpoints in the Astra API require Authorization of your client application by the end user. This process generates the Authorization Code you will exchange for an Access Token.

1. Browse to the OAuth URL generated in the dashboard (select Collect Authorization from the Action Type dropdown)
2. Using your test user_intent (from above), log in, then click Authorize
3. On success, the user will be redirected to the URI associated with your developer account
4. Capture the authorization_code from the URL
5. Exchange the authorization_code for an access_token via POST /v1/oauth/token endpoint

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Currently, you must use an API tool like Postman or a server to securely exchange the authorization_code in step 5. If your client is a Single Page Application (SPA), contact us for more information.

Make a request to the API with an Access Token

All endpoints that interact with an end user's Accounts or Routines require an Access Token in the API request header.

1. Capture the access_token from the authorization step above
2. Add Authorization: Bearer access_token to the header of a request
3. Make a request to the API (we recommend the GET /v1/accounts endpoint
4. A successful request will return the appropriate payload
5. Contact Astra to fully configure your client for your desired payment solutions:
   • Instant Funding
6. Congratulations, you are now ready to set up automated Routines and Transfers!