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

# Quickstart

> Make your first Vintl API call in under 2 minutes. Get real economic data with one curl command.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get your API key">
    Sign up at [app.vintl.io](https://app.vintl.io/signup). Free tier: 500 requests/day, no credit card.

    Your key starts with `vntl_live_` — store it in an environment variable.

    ```bash theme={"dark"}
    export VINTL_API_KEY=vntl_live_sk_YOUR_KEY_HERE
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fetch some data">
    Pull the latest Consumer Price Index observations:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash cURL theme={"dark"}
      curl -H "X-API-Key: $VINTL_API_KEY" \
        "https://api.vintl.io/v1/series/CPIAUCSL/observations?limit=3"
      ```

      ```python Python theme={"dark"}
      import os, requests

      resp = requests.get(
          "https://api.vintl.io/v1/series/CPIAUCSL/observations",
          headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["VINTL_API_KEY"]},
          params={"limit": 3}
      )
      print(resp.json())
      ```

      ```typescript TypeScript theme={"dark"}
      const resp = await fetch(
        "https://api.vintl.io/v1/series/CPIAUCSL/observations?limit=3",
        { headers: { "X-API-Key": process.env.VINTL_API_KEY! } }
      );
      console.log(await resp.json());
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    ```json Response theme={"dark"}
    {
      "object": "observation_series",
      "request_id": "req_19d22fd0193a...",
      "status": "ok",
      "series": {
        "id": "CPIAUCSL",
        "title": "Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers",
        "frequency": "M"
      },
      "results": [
        { "date": "2025-02-01T00:00:00Z", "value": "320.012", "as_of_date": "2025-03-12T00:00:00Z" },
        { "date": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z", "value": "319.086", "as_of_date": "2025-02-12T00:00:00Z" },
        { "date": "2024-12-01T00:00:00Z", "value": "317.898", "as_of_date": "2025-01-14T00:00:00Z" }
      ],
      "results_count": 3,
      "has_more": true,
      "next_cursor": "2024-11-01"
    }
    ```

    Values are strings (`"320.012"`) for decimal precision. Every response includes `has_more` and `next_cursor` for [pagination](/essentials/pagination).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Try a point-in-time query">
    This is what makes Vintl different. Add `?as_of=2023-10-26` to see GDP as it was known the day the advance estimate dropped:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash cURL theme={"dark"}
      curl -H "X-API-Key: $VINTL_API_KEY" \
        "https://api.vintl.io/v1/series/GDPC1/observations?as_of=2023-10-26&limit=3"
      ```

      ```python Python theme={"dark"}
      resp = requests.get(
          "https://api.vintl.io/v1/series/GDPC1/observations",
          headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["VINTL_API_KEY"]},
          params={"as_of": "2023-10-26", "limit": 3}
      )
      print(resp.json())
      ```

      ```typescript TypeScript theme={"dark"}
      const resp = await fetch(
        "https://api.vintl.io/v1/series/GDPC1/observations?as_of=2023-10-26&limit=3",
        { headers: { "X-API-Key": process.env.VINTL_API_KEY! } }
      );
      console.log(await resp.json());
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    Returns `"22491.567"` — the advance estimate. Today's revised value is `"22840.989"`. The [point-in-time guide](/guides/point-in-time) explains why this matters.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Where to go from here

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Point-in-time queries" icon="clock-rotate-left" href="/guides/point-in-time">
    Deep dive into `as_of` — how it works, FRED comparison, revision tracking.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="lock" href="/essentials/authentication">
    Key format, error responses, best practices.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Treasury yields" icon="chart-line" href="/guides/yield-curve">
    Yield curves, spreads, and TIPS data.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Python guide" icon="python" href="/guides/python-quickstart">
    Full Python examples with pagination and point-in-time.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>