Quickstart
This guide gets you from no setup to a successful authenticated request with the fewest moving parts possible.
If you have not yet confirmed access, plans, or environment readiness, start with Access and Prerequisites first.
Before you begin
Make sure you have:
- access to
Settings -> Developer settingsin SpotDraft - a generated
Client IdandClient Secret - the correct API base host for the workspace you are targeting
- a place to store secrets outside source control
Step 1: choose the correct API host and path
Your integration should call the API host for the target workspace, not the developer portal hostname. The backend clearly exposes versioned public paths such as /api/v2.1/public/....
If you are unsure which host to use, confirm it before building. Wrong-host traffic is one of the most common sources of confusing 404 and redirect behavior.
Step 2: make the first authenticated request
Use a simple GET request first. The objective here is not business logic; it is confirming that hostname, credentials, and client behavior are all correct.
curl -sS "https://YOUR_API_HOST/api/v2.1/public/contract_types/" \
-H "client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-H "Accept: application/json"
You are looking for:
- a
2xxstatus code - a JSON response body, typically a list of contract types your workspace can access
- no redirect to another host or protocol
Step 2b: inspect the public schema
Once the first request works, confirm that your target capability exists in the public schema before moving into implementation:
- use the API Reference for endpoint browsing
Step 3: if it fails, check the basics first
Check these in order:
- wrong API host
- credentials generated in a different workspace
- missing or misspelled
client-idorclient-secret - redirect caused by
http://or a trailing slash mismatch
If your client follows redirects automatically, disable that while debugging. It is much easier to fix the exact URL than to debug a method-changing redirect.
Step 4: decide your next path
Once the first request works, move directly to the guide that matches your intended integration.
- Use Platform 101 if you need the object model and API surface first.
- Use Explore SpotDraft integrations if you need to decide whether a native integration already fits.
- Use Webhooks if you need real-time lifecycle updates.
- Use Generate Contracts and Sync Data Back for the most common internal-system integration pattern.
- Use Upload a Third-Party Contract and Send It for Signature if your contract body starts outside SpotDraft.