# Getting Started

The Monta API enables you to develop your own use cases around Monta-managed charge points, e.g. present them within your own solutions, start/stop charges or just import information into your CRM tool to have all business relevant data in one place.

## Getting Access

![](/images/partner/bbabece2107fbd7340fe2eb3cd9115a2dc098972bdb9eb252ba1f71cf7d49364-Getting_access.png)

In order to get access to the Monta API, you need to:

1. Get in touch with your Monta representative to discuss your use case and establish a commercial agreement for Monta API access.
2. Once the commercial agreement is in place, our technical team will introduce your engineers to the Monta API and guide you through the integration process.
3. After access has been enabled for your organization, you can create API credentials directly in [Monta Hub](https://hub.monta.app/).

To create credentials, sign in to **Monta Hub** as an **Operator Admin**, then:

1. Open **Admin** in the sidebar.
2. Under **Developers**, select **API**.
3. Click **New**, name the key, pick its scopes and the accounts it can access, then click **Create**.

:::warning{title="Note on permissions"}

Each API credential is created with specific **permission scopes** and optional **team restrictions**, defining what data and actions your integration can access. You can review and manage these at any time in Monta Hub. For more information:  
[Authentication > Scopes](/reference/permission-scopes)  
[Authentication > Access Control](/reference/access-control)

:::

![API keys in Monta Hub: Admin, then API, then New](/images/partner/hub-api-keys.png)

## Make your first API request

Once you have created your API credentials, you can authenticate and make your first request in just a few steps.

### Step 1: Exchange credentials for an access token

Use your `clientId` and `clientSecret` to request a short-lived **access token** from the authentication endpoint.

👉 See [API Reference > Authentication](/reference/ref-authentication)  page for the full request and response details.

### Step 2: Call the API using the access token

Include the returned `accessToken` in the `Authorization` header as a **Bearer token** for all subsequent API requests.

```
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN
```

You can also test endpoints directly in the documentation: click **Test** on an endpoint, add an `Authorization` header with the value `Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN` and click **Send**.\
Try it out here: [API Reference > /consumers/me](/api/consumer)

![The playground with an Authorization header and the Send button](/images/partner/playground-auth-header.png)

## Changelog

See: [Changelog](/changelog)