---
title: "Quickstart"
canonical_url: https://support.digitalphotogallery.com/articles/article/7ef0919d-76b2-443f-ae48-b44ac65cd678
short_url: https://dpg.support/aumq
category: "API"
locale: en
updated_at: 2026-07-03T17:22:30Z
source: Digital Photo Gallery Support
---

# Quickstart

This guide gets you from nothing to your first authenticated response in a few minutes. You'll switch the API on, make a token, and read from your account.

### 1. Switch on API access

The API is off until you turn it on. An account administrator does this once, in the admin under **Settings → API → Settings**: switch **API Access** on and click **Update**.

> 💡 **Tip:** Every endpoint checks this switch first. Until it's on, you'll get `403 api_not_enabled` no matter which token you use.

### 2. Make a token

For a server-to-server integration, the credential you want is a **service token**: an account-wide key you send as a bearer token. You make one in the admin under **Settings → API → API Tokens**. Give it a name, choose the scopes it needs (start read-only), and create it.

Your token looks like `dpg_api_live_…`, and you'll only see the full value once, so copy it somewhere safe as soon as it's created.

> ⚠️ **Warning:** Treat a token like a password. Anyone who has it can act on your account within its scopes. You can revoke it at any time from the same **API Tokens** screen.

### 3. Make your first call

Ask the API who you are and what you're allowed to do:

```
curl https://api.digitalphotogallery.com/v1/me \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer dpg_api_live_YOUR_TOKEN"
```

```json
{
  "account": { "uuid": "…", "name": "My Festival", "unique_id": "myfest" },
  "service_token": { "uuid": "…", "name": "My integration" },
  "capabilities": ["api.images.read"]
}
```

That `capabilities` list is exactly what your token can do, and it's worth a look before you try a write.

### 4. Read some images

```
curl "https://api.digitalphotogallery.com/v1/images?limit=5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer dpg_api_live_YOUR_TOKEN"
```

You'll get back a JSON array of images, each with its `public_uuid`, title, metadata and version URLs. Keep an eye on the `X-Has-More` and `X-Next-Offset` response headers; they tell you whether there's another page to fetch.

### Where to next

[Authentication](https://support.digitalphotogallery.com/articles/article/1667f446-73dd-43ab-b737-de59974d8845) covers scopes and the sign-in flow for user tokens, and [Operations](https://support.digitalphotogallery.com/articles/article/2811a89b-e9f5-413a-b05c-7bb20b699313) covers the one idea behind every change you'll make.

[Open the OpenAPI specification](https://api.digitalphotogallery.com/openapi.v1.yaml)