# Quickstart

> A key, a vend, a webhook. Five minutes, no approval call.

Source: https://useroutegate.com/docs/quickstart

Everything below works with a test key. Test mode returns the same envelope, the same statuses and the same webhooks as live, against a sandbox provider, so the integration you write here is the one you ship.

## 1. Get a key

Create an account and open **API keys** in the dashboard. A test key starts with `rg_test_`. It is shown once, so put it straight into your environment.

```bash
export ROUTEGATE_API_KEY=rg_test_4k9d2m8v
```

## 2. Send a vend

One endpoint, one key, one idempotency key. The amount is an integer in kobo, so a hundred naira is `10000`.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.useroutegate.com/api/v1/airtime \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ROUTEGATE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: ord-00042-a1" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "network": "mtn",
    "destination": "+2348012345678",
    "amount_kobo": 100000,
    "client_reference": "ord-00042"
  }'
```

You get `202 Accepted` and a transaction. `status` is `pending` until a channel answers.

```json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "rg_tx_01J8QX4M2K9R7V3N",
    "status": "pending",
    "network": "mtn",
    "destination": "+2348012345678",
    "amount_kobo": 100000,
    "client_reference": "ord-00042"
  }
}
```

## 3. Take the webhook

Do not poll. The final state arrives at your endpoint, signed, and retries until you take it.

```json
{
  "event_id": "evt_01J8QX4P7B2M9C3D",
  "type": "transaction.successful",
  "data": { "id": "rg_tx_01J8QX4M2K9R7V3N", "status": "successful" }
}
```

Verify `Routegate-Signature` before you trust it, and treat `event_id` as the key you deduplicate on. See [webhooks](/docs/concepts/webhooks).

## 4. Go live

Swap the key. Nothing else in your code changes.

> If any of this took longer than five minutes, tell us which step. That is a bug in these docs, not in you.