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

# Introduction

> Understand general concepts, response codes, and authentication strategies.

## Base URL

The Pingback API is built on **REST** principles. We enforce **HTTPS** in every request to improve data security, integrity, and privacy. The API does not support **HTTP**.

All requests contain the following base URL:

```json theme={null}
https://connect.pingback.com/v2
```

## **Authentication**

The Pingback API uses API keys to authenticate requests. You can request and manage your API keys in [API Key page](https://pingback.com/publish/settings/account/api-key).

To authenticate you need to add an Authorization header with the contents of the header being `x-api-key: ***` where `***` is your API Key.

```json theme={null}
x-api-key: ***
```

Your API key is unique to your account and should be kept secure. Do not share your API key in publicly accessible areas such as GitHub, client-side code, and so on.

We also encrypt your API key in our database to ensure that it is secure, using `AES-256` encryption.

## Response codes

Pingback uses standard HTTP codes to indicate the success or failure of your requests.

In general, `2xx` HTTP codes correspond to success, `4xx` codes are for user-related failures, and `5xx` codes are for infrastructure issues.

| Status | Description |
| :- | :- |
| 200 | Successful request. |
| 201 | The resource was created. |
| 400 | Missing body data. |
| 403 | Forbidden. |
| 404 | Resource not found. |
| 409 | Conflict. |
| 422 | Invalid input. |
| 429 | Too many requests. |
| 500 | Indicates an error with Pingback servers. |

## Rate limit

Pingback enforces rate limits to ensure fair usage of the API. If you exceed the rate limit, you will receive a `429` status code.

The maximum number of requests that users can send is **5 requests per second**.

The burst rate is **2 requests** at a time.

To prevent this, we recommend reducing the rate at which you request the API. This can be done by introducing a queue mechanism or reducing the number of concurrent requests per second. If you have specific requirements, contact [**support team**](https://helpcenter.pingback.com/).

## Developer mode

The Pingback API has a developer mode that allows you to test your integrations without affecting your production data. To enable developer mode, you need to add a header to your request.

```json theme={null}
x-developer-mode: true
```

This mode is useful for testing your integrations and ensuring that your code is working as expected. All the data returned in developer mode is fake and does not affect your production data.


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