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

# Quick Start

> Get started with the ScrapeBadger API in under 5 minutes.

Follow these three steps to make your first API call.

## Step 1: Create an Account

Sign up for a free ScrapeBadger account. No credit card required.

<Card title="Sign Up Free" icon="user-plus" href="https://scrapebadger.com/auth/signup">
  Create your account and get free credits to start.
</Card>

## Step 2: Generate an API Key

Navigate to your dashboard and create a new API key. You can create multiple keys for different projects.

<Card title="Go to Dashboard" icon="key" href="https://scrapebadger.com/dashboard/api-keys">
  Create and manage your API keys.
</Card>

## Step 3: Make Your First Request

Use your API key to authenticate requests. Include it in the `x-api-key` header.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X GET "https://scrapebadger.com/v1/twitter/users/elonmusk/by_username" \
    -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://scrapebadger.com/v1/twitter/users/elonmusk/by_username',
    {
      headers: {
        'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
      }
    }
  );

  const user = await response.json();
  console.log(user.name, user.followers_count);
  ```

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

  response = requests.get(
      'https://scrapebadger.com/v1/twitter/users/elonmusk/by_username',
      headers={'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'}
  )

  user = response.json()
  print(f"{user['name']} - {user['followers_count']} followers")
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Example Response

```json theme={null}
{
  "id": "44196397",
  "username": "elonmusk",
  "name": "Elon Musk",
  "description": "Read @TheBoringCompany...",
  "followers_count": 170000000,
  "following_count": 500,
  "tweet_count": 45000,
  "verified": true,
  "verified_type": "Business",
  "profile_image_url": "https://pbs.twimg.com/...",
  "created_at": "2009-06-02T20:12:29.000Z"
}
```

The response includes full user profile data including verification status, follower counts, and account metadata.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Learn about API key management and security best practices.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    Explore all 50+ endpoints for tweets, users, lists, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>