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

# Quickstart

> Start getting creator data within a few minutes

The following instructions will walk you through making an API call to the CreatorDB server to get a YouTube creator's data.

## Before you start

Before making an API call, you must set up a CreatorDB account. CreatorDB offers a free 14-day Pro plan trial with 5,000 free API credits.

1. Create a [CreatorDB account](https://app.creatordb.app/).
2. Create an [API key](https://docs.creatordb.app/api-v2/authentication).
3. Make sure you have [curl](https://curl.se/) installed on your device.

## How to get a YouTube creator's data

Your API call must contain the following:

* **A host**: The host for CreatorDB API v2 requests is `https://dev.creatordb.app/v2/`.
* **An Authorization header**: The authorization header of the API call must include an [API key](https://docs.creatordb.app/api-v2/authentication).
* **A request**: To retrieve data via the HTTP method `GET`, submit your payload in JSON. You must include the YouTube channel's ID in the request parameter.

<Note>
  You can install a Chrome extension to retrieve YouTube channel ID information. Visit the [Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/category/extensions) for details.
</Note>

CreatorDB recommends retrieving creator data using our [API reference](https://docs.creatordb.app) or an API platform like [Postman](https://www.postman.com/) for a better user experience and for a cleaner data layout.

### Using the CreatorDB API reference

If you have never used an API reference before, follow the instructions below:

1. Go to the [CreatorDB API documentation](https://docs.creatordb.app).
2. Expand **API Endpoints**.
3. Go to **\[YouTube]>\[YouTube Basic]**.
4. Click **Try it**.
   <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/creatordb-589c46f5/assets/images/api_v2_youtube_basic_1.png" alt="api_v2_youtube_basic_1.png" />
5. Copy and paste your API key into the **apiId** field.
6. Copy and paste the YouTube channel ID into the **youtubeID** field.
7. Click **Send**.
   The API response is displayed in the top right box.
   <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/creatordb-589c46f5/assets/images/api_v2_youtube_basic_2.png" alt="api_v2_youtube_basic_2.png" />
   <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/creatordb-589c46f5/assets/images/api_v2_youtube_basic_3.png" alt="api_v2_youtube_basic_3.png" />

### Calling the CreatorDB API

If you are a developer and prefer using the Command Line Interface (CLI) to make API calls, follow the instructions below:

```curl theme={null}
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://dev.creatordb.app/v2/youtubeBasic?youtubeId=<<YouTube_CHANNEL_ID>>' \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'apiId:<<YOUR_API_KEY>>'

```

1. Copy the curl example.
2. Paste the curl call into a text editor like Visual Studio Code.
3. In the `url` section, copy and paste the YouTube channel ID in `<<YouTube_CHANNEL_ID>>`.
4. In the `apiId` header section, replace `<<YOUR_API_KEY>>` with your API key.
5. Copy the code and paste it into your terminal.
6. Press **Enter**.
7. The creator's data is returned.

<Note>
  To get multiple creators' account data, CreatorDB recommends writing a script or code that can asynchronously retrieve multiple creators' data at the same time. Note that each call made to the `youtubeBasic` API uses 2 API credits.
</Note>