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

# Quickstart

> Get up and running with the Zet API in 5 minutes

# Quickstart

This guide walks you through your first Zet API integration — creating a wallet and buying crypto with NGN.

## Prerequisites

* A Zet account with API access
* Your API key (contact [zetdotmoney@gmail.com](mailto:zetdotmoney@gmail.com) to request access)

## Step 1: Get your API key

Reach out to [zetdotmoney@gmail.com](mailto:zetdotmoney@gmail.com?subject=Zet%20API%20Key%20Request) to request API access. Our team will provision your credentials.

You'll receive:

* **API Key** (`zet_live_...`) — include in every request as the `x-api-key` header
* **API Secret** (`zet_secret_...`) — used to verify webhook signatures (keep this secret!)

<Warning>
  Never expose your API key or secret in client-side code. All Zet API calls should be made from your backend server.
</Warning>

## Step 2: Create a wallet

Create a Smart Wallet for your user:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X POST https://api.zet.money/v1/wallets \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -H "x-api-key: zet_live_your_api_key" \
    -d '{
      "externalUserId": "user_abc123",
      "chain": "base",
      "metadata": {
        "email": "user@example.com"
      }
    }'
  ```

  ```javascript Node.js theme={null}
  const response = await fetch('https://api.zet.money/v1/wallets', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'x-api-key': 'zet_live_your_api_key',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      externalUserId: 'user_abc123',
      chain: 'base',
      metadata: { email: 'user@example.com' },
    }),
  });

  const { data: wallet } = await response.json();
  console.log(wallet.address); // 0x1234...
  ```

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

  response = requests.post(
      'https://api.zet.money/v1/wallets',
      headers={
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          'x-api-key': 'zet_live_your_api_key',
      },
      json={
          'externalUserId': 'user_abc123',
          'chain': 'base',
          'metadata': {'email': 'user@example.com'},
      },
  )

  wallet = response.json()['data']
  print(wallet['address'])  # 0x1234...
  ```
</CodeGroup>

**Response:**

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "wal_01H8X3abc",
    "externalUserId": "user_abc123",
    "address": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678",
    "chain": "base",
    "isDeployed": {
      "base": false,
      "bsc": false
    },
    "createdAt": "2026-03-02T10:00:00Z",
    "metadata": {
      "email": "user@example.com"
    }
  }
}
```

<Info>
  The wallet is lazily deployed — the on-chain smart contract deploys automatically on the first transaction, with gas sponsored by Zet.
</Info>

## Step 3: Get an on-ramp quote

Get a quote for buying USDC with 50,000 NGN:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.zet.money/v1/onramp/quote \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: zet_live_your_api_key" \
  -d '{
    "amount": "50000",
    "tokenSymbol": "USDC",
    "chain": "base"
  }'
```

**Response:**

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "quoteId": "qt_01H8X3xyz",
    "fiatAmount": "50000",
    "fiatCurrency": "NGN",
    "cryptoAmount": "32.45",
    "tokenSymbol": "USDC",
    "chain": "base",
    "rate": "1540.50",
    "fees": {
      "providerFee": "50",
      "platformFee": "50",
      "swapFee": "20",
      "totalFee": "120"
    },
    "expiresAt": "2026-03-02T10:05:00Z"
  }
}
```

## Step 4: Initiate the on-ramp

Use the `quoteId` to start the transaction:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.zet.money/v1/onramp/initiate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: zet_live_your_api_key" \
  -d '{
    "quoteId": "qt_01H8X3xyz",
    "walletId": "wal_01H8X3abc",
    "reference": "order_12345"
  }'
```

**Response:**

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "transactionId": "txn_01H8X3def",
    "reference": "order_12345",
    "status": "pending",
    "depositAccount": {
      "bankName": "Wema Bank",
      "bankCode": "035",
      "accountNumber": "0123456789",
      "accountName": "Zet / John Doe"
    },
    "amount": "50070",
    "expiresAt": "2026-03-02T10:30:00Z"
  }
}
```

Display the `depositAccount` details to your user so they can send the NGN via bank transfer.

## Step 5: Handle the webhook

Once the user's bank transfer arrives and crypto is delivered, Zet sends a webhook to your registered URL:

```json theme={null}
{
  "event": "onramp.completed",
  "timestamp": "2026-03-02T10:12:00Z",
  "data": {
    "transactionId": "txn_01H8X3def",
    "reference": "order_12345",
    "type": "onramp",
    "status": "completed",
    "amount": "32.45",
    "tokenSymbol": "USDC",
    "chain": "base",
    "transactionHash": "0xabc123...",
    "fiatAmount": "50000",
    "fiatCurrency": "NGN",
    "walletId": "wal_01H8X3abc"
  }
}
```

Verify the `x-zet-signature` header using your API secret:

```javascript theme={null}
const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifyWebhook(payload, signature, secret) {
  const expected = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(JSON.stringify(payload))
    .digest('hex');
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(signature),
    Buffer.from(expected)
  );
}
```

## Next steps

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

  <Card title="Off-ramp guide" icon="building-columns" href="/guides/offramp">
    Let users sell crypto for NGN to their bank account.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Swap guide" icon="arrows-rotate" href="/guides/swap">
    Build a token swap feature into your app.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhooks guide" icon="webhook" href="/guides/webhooks">
    Set up robust webhook handling for production.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>