# Getting Started

Cashramp lets you charge customers in **local African currencies** and settle instantly in **USD‑denominated stablecoins**.\
This five‑minute quick‑start walks you from sign‑up to your first API call.

***

## 1. Create an account ✅

1. Visit [**https://cashramp.co/commerce/signup**](https://cashramp.co/commerce/signup).
2. Complete the business signup form.
3. You’ll land in the **Developer Dashboard**.

> **Tip** – Keep the Dashboard open in another tab; you’ll copy values from it in the next step.

***

## 2. Get your API keys ✅

1. In the Dashboard, open [**Settings**](https://cashramp.co/commerce/dashboard/settings) **→ Developers → API keys**.
2. Click **Generate keys**. You’ll receive:
   * **Public key** (`CSHRMP‑PUBK_…`): safe for front‑end use.
   * **Secret key** (`CSHRMP‑SECK_…`): **server only**; store it in an environment variable.
3. Copy your **secret key** somewhere safe—Cashramp shows it **once**.

> **Going live** – When you’re ready for production, swap your staging secret key for a production one and change the base URL from `https://staging.api.useaccrue.com` to `https://api.useaccrue.com`.

***

## 3. Send your first request 🚀

Paste the cURL snippet below into a terminal and replace **`<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>`** with your secret key.

```bash
curl https://staging.api.useaccrue.com/cashramp/api/graphql \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_SECRET_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "query": "{ account { id accountBalance } }"
      }'
```

Expected response (pretty‑printed):

```json
{
  "data": {
    "account": {
      "id": "QWNjb3VudC0xMjM0NTY=",
      "accountBalance": "0.00"
    }
  }
}
```

**Run it live** – Try the same query in our GraphiQL [Playground](https://cloud.hasura.io/public/graphiql?query=%7B+account+%7B+id+accountBalance+%7D+%7D\&endpoint=https%3A%2F%2Fstaging.api.useaccrue.com%2Fcashramp%2Fapi%2Fgraphql)

***

## 4. Next steps

| Flow                                                                        | What you can build next                                     |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| [**Hosted Ramp**](https://docs.cashramp.co/cashramp/hosted-ramp/overview)   | Drop‑in checkout page that handles UI, FX, and settlement.  |
| [**Direct Ramp**](https://docs.cashramp.co/cashramp/direct-ramp/overview)   | Server‑side API to collect local payments — no UI required. |
| [**Onchain Ramp**](https://docs.cashramp.co/cashramp/onchain-ramp/overview) | Let self‑custody wallets deposit or withdraw stablecoins.   |

***

## 5. Reference & resources

* **API reference**: All queries, mutations, and types. [\[Docs\]](https://docs.cashramp.co/cashramp/cashramp-api/queries)
* **Webhooks**: Real‑time transaction updates. [\[Guide\]](https://docs.cashramp.co/cashramp/introduction/webhooks)
* **SDKs**: [\[Docs\]](https://docs.cashramp.co/cashramp/introduction/sdks)