# 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)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.cashramp.co/cashramp/introduction/readme.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.