# Getting started
To use the Digital River API, you must set up a Digital River Dashboard account, obtain your API keys, and perform a test request. This guide will walk you through the necessary steps, ensuring you have everything in place to start making successful API calls to Digital River's platform. By following these instructions, you'll be well on your way to integrating Digital River's services into your application.
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### Request a Digital River Dashboard account
To submit a request for a Digital River Dashboard account:
1. Go to the [Solution Center](https://solutioncenter.digitalriver.com/public_csm).
2. Click **Log in** and provide your user credentials by completing the required fields and clicking **Submit**.
3. Click **Create Case**. The Create Case page will appear.
4. Complete the fields and click Submit. We recommend including "Digital River Dashboard access" in the **Subject** and **Description** fields.
5. When you receive the activation email, click the **Activate your Digital River Dashboard account** link to activate your account.
You can access your account's [API keys](https://app.gitbook.com/s/ZrhMyLX5esFYS64lNWVW/digital-river-api-reference-guide/api-structure#api-keys) once you successfully sign in to the Digital River Dashboard. Digital River provides four keys for your account: a public and confidential API Key for sending requests in both test and production modes. In the Digital River Dashboard, toggle between Test and Production to view your public keys, and click **Reveal test token** or **Reveal token** to unmask your confidential key.Digital River uses these keys to authenticate your API requests. The API key you use to authenticate the request determines whether the request is in production mode or test mode. If you forget to provide your key or use an incorrect or outdated one, the API returns an error.
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### Perform a test request
When you have your API keys, you can send a test request. The following steps demonstrate how to do this: Before proceeding, install Postman.
1. Go to the [Digital River API Postman Collection](https://github.com/DigitalRiver/api-sandbox) page on GitHub.
2. To install the Digital River API Postman Collection, click the **Run in Postman** button and select **Postman for Windows**.
3. Click the  icon on the Digital River Collection you just imported and select **Edit**.
4. In the **Edit Collection** window, select the **Variables** tab.
5. For the **secretKey** variable, paste your confidential test key into the **Initial Value** and **Current Value** fields.
6. Click **Save**.
7. Back in the collection, expand the **Create a Client-fulfilled SKU** folder and open the **Create a physical sku** request.
8. Click **Send**. A successful request creates a [SKU](https://app.gitbook.com/s/x8fSFzVR3sg0TsNWwwVz/skus), and the response contains a `201 Created` status code.
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### Explore integration options
After successfully performing a simple test, you can dive deeper. To better understand some of Digital River's core services and how to use them, we recommend you look over the [Using our services](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api/using-our-services) page.
We also offer several integration paths to match your business needs:
* [Low-code checkouts](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api/integration-options/low-code-checkouts): The quickest, easiest way to integrate. Add a turnkey Digital River-hosted checkout experience with minimal code or construct unique checkout flows with our components.
* [Direct Integrations](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts): A more customizable way to build your user experience. Use our ready-to-display features and flexible API suite.
* [Connectors](https://app.gitbook.com/o/-LqC_Nsz4Z-JxICCsFw3/s/-MNZuFyE5P0wydRRHC84/): Pre-built partner integrations allow you to connect with Digital River's payment processing, fraud detection, tax exemption, and disclosure services.
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