Quickstart

Getting started guide for approved developers working with the BeatPass API.

Overview

This guide helps approved developers get started with the BeatPass API.

API access is invite-only. Developer tokens are granted on a case-by-case basis. To request access, contact [e-mail]. See Authentication for details.

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Authentication

All API requests use Bearer token authentication:

GET /api/v1/tracks
Authorization: Bearer {your-token}
Accept: application/json

Detail	Value
Access	Invite-only, granted by BeatPass team
Token expiration	90 days from creation
Data access	Token required for rich API responses

Unauthenticated requests return minimal data (id, name, model_type only). A valid Bearer token is required for rich responses with pricing, plays, BPM, and licensing info.

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Environment

No Public Sandbox

No Public Sandbox — BeatPass does not provide a public sandbox or test environment. All API calls hit production systems.

This means:

Action	Impact
POST/PUT/DELETE requests	Real data is modified
Purchases	Real charges occur
Uploads	Real content is published
Messages	Real users receive messages

Development Best Practices

Practice	Why
Use personal test accounts	Avoid affecting real users
Test with minimal data	Don’t create spam content
Clean up test data	Delete test uploads promptly
Never test payments with real cards	Use Stripe test mode when available

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Using Placeholder IDs

When developing or documenting:

Recommended Placeholders

Entity	Placeholder Format	Example
Track ID	{track_id}	/tracks/{track_id}
User ID	{user_id}	/users/{user_id}
Artist ID	{artist_id}	/artists/{artist_id}
Album ID	{album_id}	/albums/{album_id}

In Code Examples

// Good - uses placeholder
const trackId = process.env.TEST_TRACK_ID || '{track_id}';

// Bad - hardcodes production ID
const trackId = 12345;

In Documentation

GET /api/v1/tracks/{track_id}

Not:

GET /api/v1/tracks/12345

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Restricted Access

Undocumented endpoints are off-limits. Unauthorized access attempts are logged, monitored, and may result in immediate token revocation and account termination.

If you encounter a 403 Forbidden response, the endpoint requires permissions your account does not have. Contact support if you believe this is an error.

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Safe API Usage

Do

• Use documented endpoints only
• Respect rate limits
• Handle errors gracefully
• Clean up test data
• Log responsibly (no sensitive data)

Don’t

• Scrape or crawl the platform
• Hammer endpoints with excessive requests
• Store user credentials
• Bypass authentication
• Share authentication credentials

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Error Handling

Standard Error Format

{
  "message": "Human-readable error",
  "errors": {
    "field": ["Validation error message"]
  }
}

HTTP Status Codes

Code	Meaning	Action
200	Success	Process response
201	Created	Resource created
400	Bad Request	Fix request format
401	Unauthorized	Re-authenticate
403	Forbidden	Check permissions
404	Not Found	Resource doesn’t exist
422	Validation Error	Fix input data
429	Rate Limited	Back off and retry
500	Server Error	Report to support

See Error Catalog for feature-specific errors.

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Getting Help

Topic	Contact
API questions	[e-mail]
Security concerns	[e-mail]
Partnership inquiries	[e-mail]

Documentation

Topic	Location
API Overview	/developers/overview
API Reference	/developers/api-reference/overview
Authentication	/developers/auth
Rate Limits	/developers/rate-limits
Error Catalog	/developers/error-catalog

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Getting Started Checklist

1. Request API Access

   Contact [e-mail] with your use case and organization details.

2. Generate Token

   Once approved, go to Account Settings → Developers to create your token.

3. Review Documentation

   • Read the API Overview
   • Understand Authentication
   • Note Rate Limits
4. Start Building

   • Begin with read-only endpoints (tracks, artists, search)
   • Use placeholder IDs in development
   • Monitor rate limit headers
   • Handle errors gracefully

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Related Resources

API Overview

Full API introduction.

Error Catalog

Error codes and resolutions.