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

# Introduction

> What the Botdog API is for, what you can build, and how to navigate these docs.

**Botdog** helps teams run outbound campaigns and track leads. The **Botdog HTTP API** connects your CRM, data warehouse, or internal tools so you can manage campaigns, sync leads, and read analytics without using the dashboard for every action.

This site is the **developer portal** for that API: conceptual guides under the **Guide** tab, live schemas and **Try it** requests under **API Reference**, and step-by-step Zapier setup under **Zapier Integration Guide**.

## What you can build

| Area          | Typical use                                                         |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Campaigns** | List and manage campaigns your team runs in Botdog.                 |
| **Leads**     | Create or sync leads into the right campaign from your own systems. |
| **Analytics** | Pull summaries and metrics to power reporting or alerting.          |

Exact paths, bodies, and response shapes are in the **API Reference** tab (generated from OpenAPI).

## Base URL and versioning

All routes are under **`/v1`**. Use the host your environment expects—check the **Servers** dropdown in **API Reference** (for example production may look like `https://api.botdog.co/v1`). Your dashboard or deployment docs are the source of truth if hosts differ per environment.

## Start in three steps

1. **Get a key** — Create an API key from [API keys](https://app.botdog.co/settings/integrations/api) in the [Botdog dashboard](https://app.botdog.co). Keys are prefixed with `bd_live_`.
2. **Authenticate** — Send the key on every request in the **`x-api-key`** header. See [Authentication](/authentication) for details and security practices.
3. **First calls** — Follow [Quick start](/quickstart) to list campaigns, create a lead, and hit analytics so you can verify end-to-end behavior.

## Where to go next

* [Quick start](/quickstart) — Copy-paste requests for your first integration.
* [Authentication](/authentication) — Headers, playground usage, and common auth errors.
* [Rate limiting](/rate-limiting) — Limits are applied per API key on authenticated routes.
* [Errors](/errors) — Status codes, response shape, and retry guidance.
* [SDKs and examples](/sdks) — Copy-paste patterns until official SDKs ship.
* [Webhooks](/webhooks/overview) — Get push notifications when leads reply, accept invites, and more.
* **API Reference** tab — Full operation list, schemas, and interactive playground (`openapi.json` in this repo, produced by NestJS Swagger).
* [Zapier Integration Guide](/zapier/overview) — No-code automation alongside the HTTP API.
* [Changelog](/changelog) — Notable API and docs updates.

## API Reference and security

Use **API Reference** when you need precise field names and to try requests with **Try it**. Prefer a **non-production** key for experiments, and avoid pasting production keys on shared machines. For more on the playground and `x-api-key`, see [Authentication](/authentication).

Need product help? Use **Support** in the top navigation ([kb.botdog.co](https://kb.botdog.co)).