API Documentation and Getting Started – Zendesk

Introduction to Our API

Our API provides programmatic access to platform functionality, enabling integration with your tools, workflow automation, and custom application development. This guide introduces API concepts, authentication, and how to make your first API calls.

API Overview

We offer a RESTful API using standard HTTP methods. The API returns JSON responses and uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication. Base URL for all endpoints is https://api.ourplatform.com/v1/. We follow semantic versioning and maintain backward compatibility within major versions. Current version is v1, with detailed documentation at developer.ourplatform.com.

Authentication

API requests require authentication using OAuth 2.0 access tokens or API keys. For user-specific applications, use OAuth 2.0 with authorization code flow. For server-to-server integrations, use API keys generated in your account settings. Include authentication in the Authorization header: "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN". API keys and tokens should be kept secure—never commit them to version control or expose them in client-side code.

Rate Limiting

API requests are rate-limited to ensure fair usage and system stability. Free plans: 100 requests per hour. Basic plans: 1,000 requests per hour. Professional plans: 10,000 requests per hour. Enterprise plans: Custom limits based on agreement. Rate limit information is included in response headers. When you exceed rate limits, you receive a 429 status code. Implement exponential backoff when retrying failed requests.

Making Your First API Call

Here's a simple example using curl to fetch your user information:

curl -X GET \
  https://api.ourplatform.com/v1/user/me \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'

The API returns JSON with your user details. Status code 200 indicates success. Error responses include descriptive messages and error codes.

✓ API Best Practices

Use pagination for endpoints that return lists of items—don't try to fetch everything in one request. Cache responses when possible to reduce API calls. Handle errors gracefully with retry logic. Monitor your API usage to stay within rate limits. Subscribe to our API changelog to stay informed about updates and changes.

Common Endpoints

Key endpoints you'll frequently use include GET /user/me (fetch current user information), GET /projects (list all projects), POST /projects (create new project), GET /projects/{id} (fetch specific project), PUT /projects/{id} (update project), DELETE /projects/{id} (delete project), GET /tasks (list tasks), and POST /tasks (create new task). Full endpoint documentation with parameters and response formats is available in our API reference.

Webhooks

Webhooks push real-time notifications to your server when events occur. Configure webhooks in your account settings by specifying a URL endpoint on your server to receive notifications. Select events you want to receive (created, updated, deleted, etc.). Secure webhooks using the signature header we include to verify authenticity. Webhook payloads contain event type, timestamp, and relevant data about what changed.

SDKs and Libraries

We provide official SDKs for popular programming languages: JavaScript/Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, and Java. SDKs handle authentication, rate limiting, pagination, and error handling automatically. Find SDKs and installation instructions in our developer documentation. Community-maintained libraries exist for other languages—check our GitHub organization for contributed libraries.