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

# Quickstart

> Get up and running with the Exchange Rates API in under 2 minutes

## Get Your API Key

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign Up">
    Visit [app.exchangeratesapi.com.au](https://app.exchangeratesapi.com.au) and sign up using your email address.

    <Note>No credit card required for the free tier (300 requests to get started)</Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Your Email">
    Check your email inbox and click the magic link to verify your account. This will automatically log you into the dashboard.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate API Key">
    In the dashboard, click **"Generate New API Key"**. Your API key will have a unique prefix (e.g., `buderim_abc123...`).

    <Warning>Copy your API key immediately - it's only shown once for security reasons</Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Make Your First Request">
    Test your API key with a simple request to get the latest exchange rates:

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/latest \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here"
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Your First API Call

Let's start with the most common use case - getting current exchange rates:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/latest \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here"
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  const response = await fetch('https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/latest', {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer your_api_key_here'
    }
  });

  const data = await response.json();

  if (data.success) {
    console.log(`Current USD rate: ${data.rates.USD}`);
    console.log(`Data from: ${data.date}`);
  } else {
    console.error('API Error:', data.error);
  }
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  headers = {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer your_api_key_here'
  }

  response = requests.get(
      'https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/latest',
      headers=headers
  )

  data = response.json()

  if data['success']:
      print(f"Current USD rate: {data['rates']['USD']}")
      print(f"Data from: {data['date']}")
  else:
      print(f"API Error: {data['error']['info']}")
  ```

  ```php PHP theme={null}
  <?php
  $api_key = 'your_api_key_here';

  $curl = curl_init();
  curl_setopt_array($curl, [
      CURLOPT_URL => 'https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/latest',
      CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
      CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
          'Authorization: Bearer ' . $api_key
      ],
  ]);

  $response = curl_exec($curl);
  curl_close($curl);

  $data = json_decode($response, true);

  if ($data['success']) {
      echo "Current USD rate: " . $data['rates']['USD'] . "\n";
      echo "Data from: " . $data['date'] . "\n";
  } else {
      echo "API Error: " . $data['error']['info'] . "\n";
  }
  ?>
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Expected Response

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "timestamp": 1725080400,
  "base": "AUD",
  "date": "2025-08-31",
  "rates": {
    "USD": 0.643512,
    "EUR": 0.562934,
    "GBP": 0.487421,
    "JPY": 96.832100,
    "NZD": 1.094200,
    "CAD": 0.893421,
    "CHF": 0.578234,
    "CNY": 4.623451,
    "TWI": 60.500000
  }
}
```

## Currency Conversion

Convert amounts between currencies:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl "https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/convert?from=AUD&to=USD&amount=100" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here"
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  const amount = 100;
  const from = 'AUD';
  const to = 'USD';

  const response = await fetch(
    `https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/convert?from=${from}&to=${to}&amount=${amount}`,
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer your_api_key_here'
      }
    }
  );

  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(`${amount} ${from} = ${data.result} ${to}`);
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  params = {
      'from': 'AUD',
      'to': 'USD',
      'amount': 100
  }

  headers = {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer your_api_key_here'
  }

  response = requests.get(
      'https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/convert',
      params=params,
      headers=headers
  )

  data = response.json()
  print(f"{params['amount']} {params['from']} = {data['result']} {params['to']}")
  ```

  ```php PHP theme={null}
  <?php
  $params = http_build_query([
      'from' => 'AUD',
      'to' => 'USD',
      'amount' => 100
  ]);

  $curl = curl_init();
  curl_setopt_array($curl, [
      CURLOPT_URL => 'https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/convert?' . $params,
      CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
      CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
          'Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here'
      ],
  ]);

  $response = curl_exec($curl);
  $data = json_decode($response, true);

  echo "100 AUD = " . $data['result'] . " USD";
  ?>
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Conversion Response

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "query": {
    "from": "AUD",
    "to": "USD",
    "amount": 100
  },
  "info": {
    "timestamp": 1725080400,
    "rate": 0.643512
  },
  "date": "2025-08-31",
  "result": 64.3512
}
```

## Historical Data

Get exchange rates from any date since 2018:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/2024-12-01 \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here"
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  const historicalDate = '2024-12-01';

  const response = await fetch(
    `https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/${historicalDate}`,
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer your_api_key_here'
      }
    }
  );

  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(`USD rate on ${historicalDate}: ${data.rates.USD}`);
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  historical_date = '2024-12-01'
  headers = {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer your_api_key_here'
  }

  response = requests.get(
      f'https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/{historical_date}',
      headers=headers
  )

  data = response.json()
  print(f"USD rate on {historical_date}: {data['rates']['USD']}")
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Error Handling

Always check the `success` field in responses:

```javascript theme={null}
const response = await fetch('https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/latest', {
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer your_api_key_here'
  }
});

const data = await response.json();

if (!data.success) {
  switch (data.error.code) {
    case 401:
      console.error('Invalid API key');
      break;
    case 429:
      console.error('Rate limit exceeded');
      break;
    case 400:
      console.error('Bad request:', data.error.info);
      break;
    default:
      console.error('API error:', data.error.info);
  }
} else {
  // Process successful response
  console.log('Current rates:', data.rates);
}
```

## Free Tier Testing

Want to try the API at no cost? Sign up for a [free API key](https://app.exchangeratesapi.com.au/login) (300 requests) and use it on any endpoint, including `/convert`:

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.exchangeratesapi.com.au/convert?from=AUD&to=USD&amount=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here"
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="API Reference" icon="book" href="/api-reference">
    Explore all available endpoints and parameters
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Learn about API key security and best practices
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rate Limits" icon="gauge" href="/guides/rate-limits">
    Understand plan limits and upgrade options
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDKs" icon="code" href="/sdks">
    Use our official SDKs for popular languages
  </Card>
</CardGroup>