{"templateId":"markdown","sharedDataIds":{"sidebar":"sidebar-sidebars.yaml"},"props":{"metadata":{"markdoc":{"tagList":[]},"type":"markdown"},"seo":{"title":"Getting Started","siteUrl":"https://developer.flute.com","description":"Documentation and API reference for integrating Flute payment processing.","lang":"en-US","llmstxt":{"hide":true,"excludeFiles":[]}},"dynamicMarkdocComponents":[],"compilationErrors":[],"ast":{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"article","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"Heading","attributes":{"level":1,"id":"getting-started","__idx":0},"children":["Getting Started"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["The following is an overview for creating and setting up a Flute account."," ","After these steps are completed and confirmed, the account may be used and development started."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["Get started with the following steps:"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"ul","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Creating a Flute sandbox account"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Creating an API key"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Generating an API token"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Developing in the sandbox environment"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Going live"]}]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"Heading","attributes":{"level":2,"id":"creating-a-flute-sandbox-account","__idx":1},"children":["Creating a Flute Sandbox Account"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["Before using Flute payment capabilities or the Flute API suite, you must create a sandbox account."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["All development and testing occurs first in a sandbox account."," ","The sandbox account is a fully isolated account that mirrors production behavior."," ","All transactions, statuses, and API endpoints may be made in the sandbox."," ","However, it does not process real transactions."," ","It is used to validate your integration, applications, and workflows before going live."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["The account is free and does not require approval."," ","It can be created and self managed."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["To create the Flute sandbox account:"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"ol","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Go to the ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"MarkdownLink","attributes":{"href":"https://dashboard.flute.com/signup"},"children":["Flute dashboard"]}," page."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Enter your email."," ","This is an address your account verification will be sent to."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Enter your company name."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Select the ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Partner"]}," account type."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Select ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Submit"]},". Flute sends an email account verification message."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Open that email and select ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Confirm your account"]},"."," ","There may be additional requests for information."," ","Complete those as needed."]}]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["After creating a sandbox account, you will be in the sandbox dashboard."," ","A reminder appears at the top of the screen."," ","This dashboard allows you to manage, status, and run test transactions."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"Heading","attributes":{"level":2,"id":"creating-a-merchant-api-key","__idx":2},"children":["Creating a Merchant API Key"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["You will need to create a merchant sandbox API key."," ","API keys created in the sandbox are only for sandbox testing."," ","New keys will need to be created when you move to the production environment."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["To create a sandbox API key:"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"ol","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Select ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Merchants"]}," in the left navigation panel."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Select a specific merchant in the center display panel."," ","That merchant information displays."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Select ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["API Keys"]}," in the right options panel."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"li","attributes":{},"children":["Create the API key following the screen instructions."]}]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"Heading","attributes":{"level":2,"id":"generating-an-api-token","__idx":3},"children":["Generating an API Token"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["To make any endpoint calls with the Flute API, an API token is required."," ","This is a temporary authentication token based on an API key."," ","This includes the sandbox API key that was created."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["To create an API token, see ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"MarkdownLink","attributes":{"href":"/api-reference/v1/api-suite-fundamentals/generating-an-api-token"},"children":["Generating an API Token"]}]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"Heading","attributes":{"level":2,"id":"developing-in-the-sandbox-environment","__idx":4},"children":["Developing in the Sandbox Environment"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["The sandbox is to be used for all testing and development."," ","It may continued to be used after going live, for additional development."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"Heading","attributes":{"level":2,"id":"going-live","__idx":5},"children":["Going Live"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["When your product is ready to be deployed live, the Flute support team will work with you to ensure compliance."," ","This compliance follows the production readiness checklist."," ","It ensures the best and optimal developer, client, and customer experience."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["For more information and details about the production readiness checklist, see ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"MarkdownLink","attributes":{"href":"/docs/launch/go-live"},"children":["Production Go-Live Guide"]},"."]}]},"headings":[{"value":"Getting Started","id":"getting-started","depth":1},{"value":"Creating a Flute Sandbox Account","id":"creating-a-flute-sandbox-account","depth":2},{"value":"Creating a Merchant API Key","id":"creating-a-merchant-api-key","depth":2},{"value":"Generating an API Token","id":"generating-an-api-token","depth":2},{"value":"Developing in the Sandbox Environment","id":"developing-in-the-sandbox-environment","depth":2},{"value":"Going Live","id":"going-live","depth":2}],"frontmatter":{"title":"Getting Started","description":"Authenticate with the Flute API using OAuth 2.0 client credentials to obtain API tokens for API requests.","seo":{"title":"Getting Started"}},"lastModified":"2026-06-15T13:50:29.000Z","pagePropGetterError":{"message":"","name":""}},"slug":"/docs/getting-started/api-authentication","userData":{"isAuthenticated":false,"teams":["anonymous"]},"isPublic":true}