> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://the-early-spring18.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Google Quickstart: Create Your Account and Call the API

> Follow this step-by-step guide to create your Google account, generate an API key, and make your very first search request in under five minutes.

This guide walks you through everything you need to go from zero to your first successful API call with Google. By the end, you'll have a verified account, a working API key, and a real search response in your terminal — giving you a solid foundation to build on. If you're exploring the platform for the first time, following each step in order is the fastest path to a working integration.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following ready:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Modern Browser" icon="globe" color="#ef7025">
    Any up-to-date version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge will work for the dashboard setup steps.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email Address" icon="envelope" color="#4fa1ab">
    You'll need a valid email address to create and verify your Google account.
  </Card>

  <Card title="REST API Familiarity" icon="code" color="#ef7025">
    For the API steps, a basic understanding of HTTP requests and JSON responses is helpful — but not strictly required.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Setup Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create Your Account">
    Head to [google.com](https://google.com) and click **Sign Up** in the top-right corner. Fill in your name, email address, and a strong password, then click **Create Account**.

    Once you submit the form, Google will send a verification email to the address you provided. Open that email and click the **Verify Email** link. Your account will be activated immediately, and you'll be redirected to your new dashboard.

    <Note>
      If you don't see the verification email within a couple of minutes, check your spam or junk folder. You can also request a new verification link from the login page.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Explore the Dashboard">
    After verifying your email, you'll land on the main Google dashboard. Take a moment to orient yourself — the three areas you'll use most often are:

    * **Search bar** — positioned at the top of every page. Type any query here to search across all data objects in your account instantly.
    * **Data panel** — the central workspace where your stored data objects are listed, filtered, and managed.
    * **Settings navigation** — found in the left sidebar under your account avatar. This is where you control API keys, integrations, team members, and billing.

    <Tip>
      Click the **?** icon in the bottom-right corner of the dashboard at any time to open the in-app help center, which includes searchable documentation and live chat support.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate an API Key">
    To interact with Google programmatically, you need an API key. Here's how to create one:

    1. Open **Settings** from the left sidebar.
    2. Select **API Keys** from the settings menu.
    3. Click **New Key** in the top-right corner of the API Keys page.
    4. Give your key a descriptive name (for example, `my-first-key`) and choose a scope — select **Read** for this quickstart.
    5. Click **Generate** and copy the key that appears.

    <Warning>
      Your API key is displayed only once. Copy it to a secure location — such as a password manager or a local `.env` file — before closing the dialog. If you lose it, you'll need to revoke the key and generate a new one.
    </Warning>

    Store your key in an environment variable so you don't accidentally hard-code it in your source files:

    ```bash theme={null}
    export GOOGLE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Make Your First API Call">
    With your API key saved, you're ready to run a real search request. Open your terminal and run the following `curl` command, replacing `YOUR_API_KEY` with the key you just generated (or use the environment variable you set above):

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl https://api.google.com/v1/search \
      -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
      -G --data-urlencode 'q=hello world'
    ```

    This sends an authenticated `GET` request to the `/v1/search` endpoint with the query string `hello world`. The `-G` flag tells `curl` to append the `--data-urlencode` parameters as query string arguments rather than a request body.

    <Info>
      You can replace `hello world` with any search term you'd like to test. If your account doesn't have any data objects yet, the response will return an empty `results` array — which is completely normal at this stage.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Handle the Response">
    A successful request returns a JSON object like the one below. Each item in the `results` array is a matching data object, ranked by relevance score from highest to lowest.

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "results": [
        { "id": "res_1a2b3c", "title": "Hello World Guide", "score": 0.97 }
      ],
      "total": 1,
      "page": 1
    }
    ```

    Here's what each field means:

    | Field             | Description                                                                         |
    | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | `results`         | An array of matching data objects, ordered by descending relevance score.           |
    | `results[].id`    | The unique identifier for the data object.                                          |
    | `results[].title` | The human-readable title of the data object.                                        |
    | `results[].score` | A float between `0` and `1` representing how closely the result matches your query. |
    | `total`           | The total number of matching results across all pages.                              |
    | `page`            | The current page number (1-indexed). Use the `page` query parameter to paginate.    |

    <CodeGroup>
      ```javascript Node.js theme={null}
      const response = await fetch(
        'https://api.google.com/v1/search?q=hello%20world',
        { headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.GOOGLE_API_KEY}` } }
      );
      const data = await response.json();
      console.log(data.results);
      ```

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

      resp = requests.get(
          'https://api.google.com/v1/search',
          headers={'Authorization': f"Bearer {os.environ['GOOGLE_API_KEY']}"},
          params={'q': 'hello world'}
      )
      print(resp.json()['results'])
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What's Next?

You've created your account, secured your API key, and made a live search request — you're all set to start building. Here are some natural next steps to deepen your understanding:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Core Concepts" icon="book-open" color="#4fa1ab" href="/core-concepts">
    Learn about data objects, API key scopes, webhooks, and the relationships between platform entities before going further.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="terminal" color="#ef7025" href="/api/overview">
    Explore the full REST API documentation, including all available endpoints, request parameters, and response schemas.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  If you get stuck at any point — whether it's an unexpected error code, a question about scopes, or anything else — you can reach the Google support team via the **Help** menu in your dashboard or by emailing [support@google.com](mailto:support@google.com). The team typically responds within one business day.
</Tip>