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

# Quickstart

> Make your first authenticated request to the Prop AI Deals API in under 3 minutes. Includes cURL, Node.js, and Python examples.

# Quickstart

Get from zero to your first API response in three minutes.

## 1. Create an account

Sign up at [propaideals.co.uk/sign-up](https://propaideals.co.uk/sign-up), then subscribe to a Public API plan at [propaideals.co.uk/dashboard/api](https://propaideals.co.uk/dashboard/api). Starter is **£99/mo**, Professional is **£299/mo**, Business is **£999/mo**. There is no free tier.

## 2. Generate an API key

1. Open the [API dashboard](https://propaideals.co.uk/dashboard/api)
2. Click **Create API Key**
3. Give it a name (e.g. `Production app`)
4. Copy the key shown — it starts with `paid_` and is only displayed once

```
paid_a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6
```

> **Important:** Treat your API key like a password. Store it in an environment variable, never commit it to source control, and rotate it if you suspect it's been exposed.

## 3. Make your first request

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.propaideals.co.uk/api/v1/properties?area=Manchester&limit=5 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer paid_your_api_key_here"
```

```javascript theme={null}
// Node.js 18+ (built-in fetch)
const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.propaideals.co.uk/api/v1/properties?area=Manchester&limit=5',
  {
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.PROPAIDEALS_API_KEY}`,
    },
  }
)

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`API error: ${response.status}`)
}

const { data, meta } = await response.json()
console.log(`Found ${data.total} Manchester properties`)
console.log(`Request ID: ${meta.request_id}`)
console.log(`Monthly usage: ${meta.usage.monthly_used}/${meta.usage.monthly_limit}`)
```

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

API_KEY = os.environ["PROPAIDEALS_API_KEY"]

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.propaideals.co.uk/api/v1/properties",
    params={"area": "Manchester", "limit": 5},
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
    timeout=15,
)
response.raise_for_status()

body = response.json()
print(f"Found {body['data']['total']} Manchester properties")
print(f"Request ID: {body['meta']['request_id']}")
```

```ruby theme={null}
require "net/http"
require "json"
require "uri"

uri = URI("https://api.propaideals.co.uk/api/v1/properties")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form(area: "Manchester", limit: 5)

req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["Authorization"] = "Bearer #{ENV['PROPAIDEALS_API_KEY']}"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
body = JSON.parse(res.body)
puts "Found #{body['data']['total']} Manchester properties"
```

```go theme={null}
package main

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "fmt"
    "net/http"
    "os"
)

func main() {
    req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET",
        "https://api.propaideals.co.uk/api/v1/properties?area=Manchester&limit=5", nil)
    req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+os.Getenv("PROPAIDEALS_API_KEY"))

    res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
    if err != nil { panic(err) }
    defer res.Body.Close()

    var body map[string]any
    json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&body)
    fmt.Printf("Found %v Manchester properties\n", body["data"].(map[string]any)["total"])
}
```

## 4. Understand the response

Every successful response is wrapped in an envelope:

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": {
    "properties": [
      {
        "id": "5fa1b2c3-d4e5-6f78-9012-3456789abcde",
        "title": "3 bed terraced house for sale",
        "address": "12 Example Road, Manchester",
        "postcode": "M1 1AA",
        "price_numeric": 245000,
        "bedrooms": 3,
        "bathrooms": 1,
        "property_type": "terraced",
        "latitude": 53.4808,
        "longitude": -2.2426,
        "agent_name": "Example Estates",
        "agent_logo": "https://...",
        "estimated_rental_yield": 7.2,
        "bmv_discount_percentage": 8.5,
        "first_seen": "2026-04-01T09:30:00Z",
        "url": "https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/..."
      }
    ],
    "total": 1842,
    "page": 1,
    "limit": 5
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_8c7f2a1b9d4e3f5a",
    "timestamp": 1713088200.123,
    "latency_ms": 184.5,
    "usage": {
      "monthly_used": 12,
      "monthly_limit": 10000,
      "request_cost": 1
    }
  }
}
```

* **`data`** — Endpoint payload (varies by endpoint)
* **`meta.request_id`** — Include this in support tickets
* **`meta.usage`** — Live usage counters; useful for budget alerts

Every response also includes these headers:

```
X-RateLimit-Limit: 10
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 9
X-Request-Cost: 1
X-Monthly-Usage: 12
X-Monthly-Limit: 10000
```

## 5. Next steps

* **[Authentication](./authentication)** — Manage and rotate keys
* **[Rate limits](./rate-limits)** — Avoid hitting quotas
* **[Errors](./errors)** — Build robust error handling
* **[Properties endpoint](./endpoints/properties)** — Full filter reference