# Getting Started

No signup or key is required — the free tier allows **5 requests/second and 1,000 requests/day**
straight away. The base URL is `https://api.apievangelist.com/v1`.

## Hello, network

```bash
curl "https://api.apievangelist.com/v1"
```

The service root returns counts per resource type, entry points, and documentation links — a good
first call for both humans and agents.

## Search everything

```bash
curl "https://api.apievangelist.com/v1/search?q=gateway&limit=5"
```

`meta.facets.types` carries per-type hit counts for the full result set; narrow with `types=`:

```bash
curl "https://api.apievangelist.com/v1/search?q=gateway&types=posts,guidance&limit=5"
```

## Browse an area

```bash
curl "https://api.apievangelist.com/v1/areas/gateway"
```

Areas connect stories, building blocks, papers, and services around one of 77 topics.

## Query a building block collection

```bash
curl "https://api.apievangelist.com/v1/guidance?q=governance"
```

The same shape works across all nine collections: `guidance`, `rules`, `policies`, `standards`,
`strategies`, `schema`, `properties`, `experiences`, and `lifecycle`.

## Inline the full content

List responses return summaries. Add `include=content` to inline the markdown body:

```bash
curl "https://api.apievangelist.com/v1/posts?tags=governance&limit=3&include=content"
```

## From JavaScript

```javascript
const res = await fetch(
  "https://api.apievangelist.com/v1/search?q=gateway&limit=5"
);
const { meta, data } = await res.json();

console.log(meta.facets.types); // per-type hit counts
data.forEach((hit) => console.log(hit.type, hit.name ?? hit.title));
```

## Shaping responses

- **Pagination** — `page` + `limit` (max `limit=100`)
- **Sparse fields** — `fields=name,slug,tags` to trim payloads
- **Tag filtering** — `tags=governance,gateway` with `match=any|all`

See the full [API Reference](/api) for every parameter and response shape, and
[Authentication](./authentication) when you outgrow the free tier.