# Getting Started

This article will help you get started with the Cropster API by walking you through the steps to make your first API call.

The Cropster API is an **HTTP RPC-style API** for integrating with our coffee inventory and production management system. We use the **OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials flow** for secure, server-to-server communication. This enables your backend to authenticate autonomously, allowing background syncs without user interaction.

All supported API endpoints are described in the official [API documentation](https://docs.cropster.com/api/rpc/reference). Additional endpoint requests can be submitted through the feature request process. The product team values your feedback and reviews every request for potential future updates.

## Requirements

To access the new public RPC API, you will require a new API integration Add-on subscription. Contact us at [api@cropster.com](mailto:api@cropster.com) to set up the new RCP API subscription plan for your account.

## Step 1: Create a Service Account in Cropster

To begin, you need to create a **Service Account**. A Service Account is a special, non-human identity designed strictly for machine-to-machine authentication.

1. Log in to the [C-sar](https://c-sar.cropster.com) platform.
2. Navigate to the **Gear** icon on the top right side of the page and select Account.
3. Click **API access** on the left side of the page.
4. Click **Add service account**.


Add Service Account
1. Enter the following details:
  - **Name**: Enter a unique and descriptive name to help distinguish this service account from others.
  - **Scopes**: Scopes define which endpoints this service account can access.
Click the dropdown and select the scopes required for your integration. For example, to access roasted inventory, select `inventory.roast`.
2. Click **Create service account**.


API Credentials Modal
1. Upon creation, your **Client ID** and **Client Secret** will be displayed.


Secure Your Credentials
Your `Client Secret` is only displayed once upon creation. Store it securely and treat it like a password.

## Step 2: Request Access Token

You will now use the `Client ID` and `Client Secret` (obtained in Step 1) to retrieve a temporary access token.

Send a `POST` request to the OAuth2 token endpoint: `https://auth.cropster.com/oauth2/token` with the Content-Type set to `application/x-www-form-urlencoded`. The scopes must be URL-encoded and should include all OAuth scopes that are required for subsequent API requests.

Upon a successful request, the response returns the access token in the field `access_token`.

The access token is valid for 8 hours. You should cache the token in your application and reuse it until it expires.

## Step 3: Making the first call to the RPC API

You are now ready to access the RPC API. Use the `Access Token` from the previous step to authenticate your API calls. You must pass it in the `Authorization` header using the `Bearer` schema. The following example demonstrates how to pass the Access Token in the Authorization header.

If the request is successful, the API returns the result in the response body.

## Getting Support

If you encounter issues while integrating with the Cropster API, please [contact us](https://www.cropster.com/contact/) with the following details to ensure the quickest resolution:

**Execution Time**: The approximate date and time (including timezone) when you executed the API request.

**Error Details**: The full error message, status code, or a screenshot of the response.

For complete reference details, including all methods, request parameters, and error codes, please refer to the official Cropster API documentation.