--- title: "Use the Ordering.co API" description: "Authenticate requests and call representative endpoints, then use API Reference for the full Ordering.co API." canonical: https://docs.ordering.co/docs/products/dashboard/settings/pro/developers/api-guidelines/ --- # Use the Ordering.co API [Back to the main guide](https://docs.ordering.co/docs/products/dashboard/settings/pro/developers/) The Ordering.co API exposes the same backend that powers the Dashboard, so you can build a custom app, an online marketplace, or an integration without rebuilding any of that backend yourself. This guide covers what you need before your first request and walks through a few representative endpoints; for the complete, authoritative list of operations, parameters, and response fields, use [API Reference](https://docs.ordering.co/api-reference/). ## What you need before you start - **Project ID** — your project's identifier, automatically generated from your project name. It contains no spaces and is always lowercase. - **X-Api-Key** — an API key for an operation that declares API-key authentication. Generate one from **Settings > Pro > Developers > API Keys > Add API key**. See [Create an API key](https://docs.ordering.co/docs/products/dashboard/settings/pro/developers/api-keys/) for the full procedure. [![API Keys section in Settings, Pro, Developers](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/ff2df1be6cfc87509ab6e62c.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/ff2df1be6cfc87509ab6e62c.png) - **An API request tool**, such as Postman, to send and inspect requests while you're building. - **A web browser with developer tools**, such as Google Chrome, useful for comparing a Dashboard request against your own. Authentication is operation-specific. When an operation declares API-key authentication, send the key in its own `X-Api-Key` header: ```http X-Api-Key: ``` Do not put an API key in `Authorization`; use each operation’s security block in [API Reference](https://docs.ordering.co/api-reference/) to determine whether it accepts an API key, a bearer token, either, or neither. The documented server pattern is `https://api.ordering.co/v400///` — replace `` with your project’s identifier and `` with `en` or the project’s language code. ## Get the orders list Retrieve the orders that belong to your project, with support for pagination and filtering: ```text https://api.ordering.co/v400///orders?orderBy=-id&page=1&page_size=10&mode=dashboard ``` [![Example orders list request and response in Postman](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/d8ef53f7ea8434d9b4af0d21.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/d8ef53f7ea8434d9b4af0d21.png) The operation publishes its current query parameters, operation-specific authentication choices, status/error responses, and a generic JSON envelope whose `result` varies by operation. It does not publish a complete filter grammar, operator list, or result-field catalogue. See the [GET /orders operation in API Reference](https://docs.ordering.co/api-reference/#tag/orders/GET/orders) before constructing a request. [![Filtered orders request example](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/3ead5462578904cb6d05fdd1.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/3ead5462578904cb6d05fdd1.png) [![Filtered orders response example](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/e7fa7ed519bd63d2ab06f3eb.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/e7fa7ed519bd63d2ab06f3eb.png) ## Get the businesses list Use the [GET /business operation in API Reference](https://docs.ordering.co/api-reference/#tag/business/GET/business) for its currently published query parameters and generic response envelope. It does not publish a typed catalogue of selectable business fields, reviews, categories, or a typed result payload. The following captures are historical request examples. They do not define current query syntax, supported selectable fields, or response shape. [![Historical businesses-list request example in Postman](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/5ed5be054065872595bacf6d.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/5ed5be054065872595bacf6d.png) [![Historical businesses request scoped to a name field](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/a4749f38867b735c8f54ff4b.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/a4749f38867b735c8f54ff4b.png) [![Historical businesses request including a location field](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/4ce14061b09f97af45f24562.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/4ce14061b09f97af45f24562.png) [![Historical Dashboard network request to the businesses endpoint](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/8b23ed791744b28c38bf4bf5.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/8b23ed791744b28c38bf4bf5.png) [![Historical Dashboard network response from the businesses endpoint](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/56f88370c61ff74dcaab904e.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/56f88370c61ff74dcaab904e.png) ## Get a store's categories and products The current reference documents category and product retrieval as separate operations. Use the [category-list operation in API Reference](https://docs.ordering.co/api-reference/#tag/business/GET/business/{business_id}/categories) and the [product-list operation in API Reference](https://docs.ordering.co/api-reference/#tag/business/GET/business/{business_id}/categories/{category_id}/products) for their published path/query parameters and generic response envelopes. The capture below is a historical request example; it does not establish a current nested `categories` response or a selectable-field contract. [![Historical request example for a business's categories and products](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/e221fecdf83ab9c173f70e13.png)](https://docs.ordering.co/img/help-center-import/e221fecdf83ab9c173f70e13.png) ## Where to go next This guide covers authentication and a few representative operation paths. For the full set of available operations — including request parameters, response schemas, and status/error codes — use [API Reference](https://docs.ordering.co/api-reference/). If you need the Dashboard’s operational status terminology, see [Orders — Overview](https://docs.ordering.co/docs/products/dashboard/orders-overview/); it does not replace an API operation’s contract. For the Ordering.co integration overview and project-scoping context, see [Ordering API integration planning](https://www.ordering.co/integrations/ordering-api/).