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

# Quickstart

> Go from zero to your first liquor license lookup in a few minutes.

This guide walks you from creating an account to your first successful API call. You'll need about five minutes.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, you must have:

* A LicenseSearcher account. [Create one](https://licensesearcher.com/register) or [talk to sales](https://licensesearcher.com/contact).
* An API key scoped to at least one [supported state](/supported-states).
* A tool for making HTTP requests (cURL, or any HTTP client in your language of choice).

## Get started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get your API key">
    Sign in to your [Dashboard](https://licensesearcher.com/login) and create an API key. Keys are scoped to specific states — make sure your account is subscribed to the states you want to query.

    <Warning>
      Treat your API key like a password. Requests are billed per call (including `4xx` responses), so never expose your key in client-side code, public repositories, or shared links.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authenticate your request">
    Pass your key as a bearer token in the `Authorization` header on every request. All calls must be made over HTTPS.

    ```bash theme={null}
    Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Make your first request">
    Search for a license by business name in a state your key is scoped to. This example searches New York for "bernardin":

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash cURL theme={null}
      curl "https://api.licensesearcher.com/v2/search?state=ny&name=bernardin" \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      ```

      ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
      const res = await fetch(
        "https://api.licensesearcher.com/v2/search?state=ny&name=bernardin",
        { headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } }
      );
      const data = await res.json();
      console.log(data);
      ```

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

      res = requests.get(
          "https://api.licensesearcher.com/v2/search",
          params={"state": "ny", "name": "bernardin"},
          headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
      )
      print(res.json())
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the response">
    A successful search returns an array of up to 10 [license objects](/liquor-licenses/license-object):

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "data": [
        {
          "license": "1026288",
          "object": "license",
          "business": "LE BERNARDIN",
          "state": "ny",
          "status": "active",
          "address": {
            "line_1": "787 7TH AVENUE",
            "city": "NEW YORK",
            "state": "NY",
            "zip": "10019"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
    ```

    Already have a license number? Retrieve it directly with [Retrieve a License](/liquor-licenses/retrieve-a-license).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Learn how API keys, state scoping, and billing work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Search by name or address" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/liquor-licenses/search">
    Fuzzy-match licenses by business, owner, or address.
  </Card>

  <Card title="The license object" icon="file-lines" href="/liquor-licenses/license-object">
    Understand every field a license returns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Supported states" icon="map" href="/supported-states">
    See which states are available today.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>