--- title: Quickstart slug: get-started/quickstart description: Get started with Cross River APIs—get credentials, use tokens and webhooks, test in our sandbox or using our public Postman collection. docTags: createdAt: 2025-04-24T08:20:18.433Z --- :::Iframe{iframeHeight="0" code="

"} ::: *** [Get API credentials](docId\:Z-MVwOV-p00-xX082NabK): Your first step to working with Cross River APIs is to register for API credentials. [Get access token](docId\:kP_8xNEZDhnaTwYlGXt22): Once you've received your API credentials and before you can use our APIs, you must get an access token using the `client_id` and `client_secret` you received when you registered. [Use access token](docId\:kc2TqgwGu54B4c5ZWpGMn): Once you've successfully authenticated, an `access_token` is returned to you. Include this token in the header of your API calls. *** [Webhooks](docId\:dxhMTjduYWp5-pYQaJUdx): Webhooks are an important component of any integration with Cross River. While APIs let you request data on demand, webhooks push real-time updates directly to your system—eliminating the need for constant polling and reducing latency. [Sandbox environments](docId\:YDqX1Hwsn_f6TZ4tdMY0t): The sandbox is a completely isolated environment, so feel free to experiment. [Postman collection](docId\:Fb95IuTT_D2JMljOJPHHb): To make development easier, we’ve put together a Postman collection with pre-built requests for all the Cross River API endpoints.