Quick start: publish an API — Docs

If you already have an API running on your own server, reachable over HTTP or HTTPS, you can list it on APIHiver in a few minutes. You don't need to change your code: the APIHiver gateway sits in front of your server and handles keys, plans, rate limits, billing and documentation for you.

1. Create the listing

Open Studio (top of the page) and click Publish your first API (or New API if you already have some). Give it a name, a URL-friendly identifier (the slug, used in its address), a category and a one-line description. You can refine all of this later. See Creating an API listing.

2. Point the gateway at your server

On the General tab, set the Base URL: the address of your API, for example http://203.0.113.10:8080 or https://api.example.com/v1. Plain HTTP with an IP address and port is fine; customers always reach you through APIHiver's HTTPS address.

Then open Gateway and add a secret header (for example X-Proxy-Secret). APIHiver attaches it to every request it forwards to you. Make your server reject any request without it, so nobody can bypass the marketplace. See Gateway and security.

3. Describe your endpoints

Open Definitions and add each endpoint: method, path, parameters, request body and example responses. Use Test endpoint to send a real request to your server and save a successful response as an example. See Endpoints and definitions.

4. Write the documentation

Open Docs and write a README in Markdown: a quick start, what each endpoint is for, and the errors you return. It appears on your API's Overview page. See Writing documentation.

5. Create plans

Open Monetize and create at least one plan. A free Basic plan with a small quota, plus one or more paid plans, works well. Each plan has a monthly price, a monthly request quota, an optional per-second rate limit, and a list of features. See Plans and pricing.

6. Publish

When the Listing completeness checklist on the General tab is all green, click Publish. Your API appears in the marketplace and gets its own secure address, https://<your-slug>.p.apihiver.com, straight away. See Publishing your API.