---
updatedAt: 2026-05-11T12:28:34.000Z
---

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.blockdaemon.com/llms.txt. Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. Append .md to any documentation page URL to get its markdown version.

# Send Your First API Request

This tutorial will help you send your first API request using Blockdaemon. We’ll walk you through how to:

* Get your API credentials
* Use the access token to make your first request

***

## Step 1: Get Your API Credentials

1. Log in to the [Blockdaemon Dashboard](https://app.blockdaemon.com/signin/), or [sign up](https://app.blockdaemon.com/signin/register) if you don’t have an account.
2. In the left sidebar, select the APIs you want to use:

<Table align={["left","left"]}>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>
        Product
      </th>

      <th>
        API Key
      </th>
    </tr>
  </thead>

  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>
        **RPC, API Suite, and DeFi**
      </td>

      <td>
        You can get a free test key. To create live keys, upgrade your plan — learn more [here](https://docs.blockdaemon.com/docs/subscription-management) .
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        **Dedicated Nodes**
      </td>

      <td>
        You’ll need to [deploy a node](https://docs.blockdaemon.com/v1.1/docs/how-to-deploy-a-node) first. Then, you'll get the Auth String & Auth Token to authenticate the request.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        **Staking API**
      </td>

      <td>
        API keys are not created automatically when a staking configuration is set up.

        To create a key:

        1. Go to the Staking API Overview page.
        2. If your workspace has an active staking configuration, you’ll be able to generate a key there.
        3. If not, you can access the page, but key creation is disabled until a configuration is enabled for your workspace.
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</Table>

## Step 2: Make Your First API Call

In this example, we'll call the [Get Protocols Overview endpoint](https://docs.blockdaemon.com/reference/getprotocolendpoints) from Blockdaemon’s REST API:

```curl Request
curl --request GET \
     --url https://svc.blockdaemon.com/universal/v1/ \
     --header 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'accept: application/json'
```

If successful, you’ll see a response like this:

```json Response
{
  "protocols": [
    {
      "handle": "algorand",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "avalanche",
      "network": "mainnet-c"
    },
    {
      "handle": "avalanche",
      "network": "testnet-c"
    },
    {
      "handle": "bitcoin",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "bitcoin",
      "network": "testnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "bitcoincash",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "bitcoincash",
      "network": "testnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "dogecoin",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "dogecoin",
      "network": "testnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "ethereum",
      "network": "hoodi"
    },
    {
      "handle": "ethereum",
      "network": "sepolia"
    },
    {
      "handle": "ethereum",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "litecoin",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "litecoin",
      "network": "testnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "near",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "optimism",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "polkadot",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "polkadot",
      "network": "westend"
    },
    {
      "handle": "polygon",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "polygon",
      "network": "amoy"
    },
    {
      "handle": "solana",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "solana",
      "network": "testnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "stellar",
      "network": "mainnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "stellar",
      "network": "testnet"
    },
    {
      "handle": "xrp",
      "network": "mainnet"
    }
  ]
}
```

Congratulations! 🎉 You just made your first authenticated API call to Blockdaemon.

> 👍 What’s Next?
>
> * Learn about different authentication methods in our [Authentication Guide](https://docs.blockdaemon.com/docs/authentication).
> * Browse the [API Reference](https://docs.blockdaemon.com/reference/homepage-api) to explore available endpoints — you can even try them live on the page!