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

# Quick Start

> Create an account, get your API keys, and create your first KulmiPay checkout session.

This guide walks you through the fastest way to make a working KulmiPay API call. You will create an account, get your API keys, and create a checkout session.

If you want to test without real money first, use the [sandbox environment](/sandbox) and replace the base URL with `https://sandbox.kulmipay.com`.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a KulmiPay account">
    Go to [app.kulmipay.com](https://app.kulmipay.com) and sign up for an account. Complete business verification before processing live payments.

    For testing, create a separate sandbox account at [sandbox.kulmipay.com](https://sandbox.kulmipay.com).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create an API application">
    In the dashboard, open **API Applications** and create an application.

    KulmiPay gives you two API keys:

    | Credential     | What it's for                                                                     |
    | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Public Key** | Browser-safe checkout and public collection requests. It starts with `ISPubKey_`. |
    | **Secret Key** | Protected backend API requests. It starts with `ISSecretKey_`.                    |

    Store the secret key securely. Do not expose it in frontend code.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a checkout session">
    Use your public key to create a hosted checkout session.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash cURL theme={null}
      curl -X POST https://sandbox.kulmipay.com/api/v1/checkout/ \
        --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        --data '{
          "public_key": "ISPubKey_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
          "amount": 1000,
          "currency": "KES",
          "email": "customer@example.com",
          "phone_number": "254712345678",
          "api_ref": "ORDER-1001",
          "redirect_url": "https://merchant.example/thank-you",
          "unique_api_ref": true
        }'
      ```

      ```javascript Node.js theme={null}
      const response = await fetch("https://sandbox.kulmipay.com/api/v1/checkout/", {
        method: "POST",
        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
        body: JSON.stringify({
          public_key: "ISPubKey_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
          amount: 1000,
          currency: "KES",
          email: "customer@example.com",
          phone_number: "254712345678",
          api_ref: "ORDER-1001",
          redirect_url: "https://merchant.example/thank-you",
          unique_api_ref: true
        })
      });

      const checkout = await response.json();
      console.log(checkout.url);
      ```

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

      response = requests.post(
          "https://sandbox.kulmipay.com/api/v1/checkout/",
          json={
              "public_key": "ISPubKey_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
              "amount": 1000,
              "currency": "KES",
              "email": "customer@example.com",
              "phone_number": "254712345678",
              "api_ref": "ORDER-1001",
              "redirect_url": "https://merchant.example/thank-you",
              "unique_api_ref": True,
          },
      )

      checkout = response.json()
      print(checkout["url"])
      ```

      ```php PHP theme={null}
      <?php

      require_once __DIR__ . "/vendor/autoload.php";

      use KulmiPay\KulmiPayPHP\Checkout;
      use KulmiPay\KulmiPayPHP\Customer;

      $credentials = [
          "publishable_key" => "ISPubKey_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
          "sandbox" => true,
      ];

      $customer = new Customer();
      $customer->email = "customer@example.com";
      $customer->phone_number = "254712345678";

      $checkout = new Checkout();
      $checkout->init($credentials);

      $response = $checkout->create(
          1000,
          "KES",
          $customer,
          null,
          "https://merchant.example/thank-you",
          "ORDER-1001",
          null,
          null,
          "BUSINESS-PAYS",
          "BUSINESS-PAYS",
          null,
          true
      );

      echo $response->url;
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    The response includes a hosted `url`. Redirect the customer to that URL, or render checkout with the [`kulmipay` browser SDK](/client-libraries).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Call a protected endpoint">
    For backend-only endpoints, pass your secret key as a Bearer token.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash cURL theme={null}
      curl --request GET \
        --url https://sandbox.kulmipay.com/api/v1/wallets/ \
        --header 'Authorization: Bearer ISSecretKey_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
      ```

      ```php PHP theme={null}
      <?php

      require_once __DIR__ . "/vendor/autoload.php";

      use KulmiPay\KulmiPayPHP\Wallet;

      $wallet = new Wallet();
      $wallet->init([
          "token" => "ISSecretKey_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
          "sandbox" => true,
      ]);

      $wallets = $wallet->retrieve();
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Understand public keys, secret keys, and environment-specific credentials.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Client Libraries" icon="code" href="/client-libraries">
    Install and configure the browser checkout SDK or PHP SDK.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Checkout" icon="cart-shopping" href="/collections/checkout">
    Learn the full hosted checkout flow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sandbox" icon="flask" href="/sandbox">
    Test your integration before going live.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>