> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.video2ctx.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# API quickstart

> Create a key and retrieve normalized video context.

The hosted API is available at `https://api.video2ctx.dev`. Product routes use the versioned `/v1` prefix.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a personal API key">
    Sign in, open [Dashboard → Developer](https://video2ctx.dev/dashboard/developer), and create a key. Copy it when shown; stored key material cannot be recovered later.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Keep the key in your server environment">
    ```bash theme={null}
    export VIDEO2CTX_API_KEY='aty_…'
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Request a transcript">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl 'https://api.video2ctx.dev/v1/providers/youtube/videos/dQw4w9WgXcQ/transcript' \
      --header "Authorization: Bearer $VIDEO2CTX_API_KEY"
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

The response contains timestamped segments, combined text, track information, and source metadata. Metered responses also include the credits charged and remaining balance in response headers.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" href="/api/authentication" icon="key">Store, send, and revoke personal API keys safely.</Card>
  <Card title="Response conventions" href="/api/conventions" icon="code">Understand pagination, warnings, credits, and errors.</Card>
</CardGroup>