APIVex gives your application access to data APIs through HTTPS requests authenticated with an x-apivex-key header. Start by choosing an API in the catalog, testing one endpoint, and moving that request into your server-side code.
This guide takes you from an account to a small Node.js integration. Google Sheets is optional; you do not need the add-on to use APIVex.
1. Find your API key
Sign in to the APIVex dashboard. The Team Subscription page includes an API Key section. Keep this key in your server environment and send it in the x-apivex-key request header.
Regenerating a key means applications using the previous value need to be updated. Coordinate that change across scheduled jobs and deployed services.
2. Choose an endpoint for your task
Browse the API Hub, open a product, and follow its documentation link. Each API has its own base path and required parameters. A property search, a hotel search, and an Instagram profile lookup do not use interchangeable IDs or query names.
For a first request, this guide uses Instagram profile lookup. Its required input is username_or_id, which accepts an Instagram username or numeric user ID.
curl --get 'https://api.apivex.com/instagram/api/user/info' \
--header "x-apivex-key: $APIVEX_API_KEY" \
--data-urlencode 'username_or_id=instagram'Set APIVEX_API_KEY in your shell environment before running this Bash/cURL example. It requests profile data for the public instagram account. Inspect the actual response before deciding which nested fields to store.
3. Call the API from Node.js
Use Node.js 18 or later for built-in fetch. Save the following as profile.mjs, set the same environment variable, and run node profile.mjs.
const apiKey = process.env.APIVEX_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error('Set APIVEX_API_KEY');
const url = new URL('https://api.apivex.com/instagram/api/user/info');
url.searchParams.set('username_or_id', 'instagram');
const response = await fetch(url, {
headers: { 'x-apivex-key': apiKey },
signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30000),
});
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`Profile request failed: HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
const profile = await response.json();
console.log(JSON.stringify(profile, null, 2));This prints the returned JSON without assuming a response envelope. Once you have inspected a successful result, validate the fields your application relies on. Handle missing values explicitly rather than converting them into zeros or empty records.
4. Turn the first request into a useful integration
- Keep credentials on the server. Let your frontend call your own backend rather than embedding the APIVex key in browser JavaScript.
- Store the input and retrieval time. A returned profile count or listing price represents an observation at a particular time.
- Start with a bounded job. Test one record before adding loops, concurrent requests, or schedules.
- Handle pagination per endpoint. Some routes use page numbers; others use opaque cursors returned by the preceding response.
- Monitor usage. Use your dashboard and the current plan information to set a request budget appropriate to your workload.
Avoid retrying every failure indefinitely. Check authentication and parameters first. For a temporary error, use a limited number of retries with increasing delays; respect a retry delay if the response provides one.
Troubleshoot your first request
The request is rejected
Check that the header is exactly x-apivex-key, the key is current, and your subscription permits the request. Read the response status and error body locally. Do not include your key when sharing a diagnostic report.
The request succeeds but the result is empty
Check the spelling of the identifier, the endpoint's required inputs, and the availability of the requested source data. An empty result is different from a failed request.
A copied example works but my integration fails
Compare the HTTP method, full URL, encoded query parameters, and header names. Keep the request minimal until the difference is isolated. Only then add filters or pagination.
Choose your next workflow
Continue with the Instagram data guide, Zillow property search guide, or hotel search guide.
If your destination is a spreadsheet, use the dedicated Google Sheets add-on tutorial. For a backend integration, start with the API Hub and test the endpoint closest to your task.
