Quickstart
From a working OpenAPI spec to a live gateway and reference page in under 10 minutes.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ installed
- An OpenAPI 3.0 or 3.1 spec file (
openapi.yamloropenapi.json) - An Endpointwise account — create one free
Step 1: Install the CLI
The Endpointwise CLI is available via npm. You can run it with npx without a global install, or install it globally for convenience.
# Run without installing (recommended for CI)
npx endpointwise --version
# Or install globally
npm install -g endpointwise
Step 2: Authenticate
Log in with your Endpointwise credentials. This stores a token in ~/.endpointwise/credentials.
npx endpointwise login
You'll be prompted for your email and password, or you can use an environment variable for non-interactive use:
ENDPOINTWISE_API_KEY=sk_live_yourtoken npx endpointwise push ...
Step 3: Push your spec
The push command ingests your spec, validates it, configures gateway routes, and generates your reference page.
npx endpointwise push --spec ./openapi.yaml
Successful output:
✓ Spec validated (OpenAPI 3.1, 14 paths)
✓ Gateway routes configured
✓ Reference docs generated
→ Gateway: https://gw.acme.endpointwise.io
→ Docs: https://docs.acme.endpointwise.io
First push? On your first push, Endpointwise creates a new gateway and docs namespace for your account. Subsequent pushes update the existing gateway in place.
Step 4: Configure rate limits
You can configure rate limits via the dashboard or via a config file checked into your repo. Create endpointwise.yaml alongside your spec:
gateway:
upstream: https://api.yourservice.com
routes:
- path: /v1/invoices
methods: [GET, POST]
rate_limit:
sustained: 100/min
burst: 20/s
- path: /v1/reports
methods: [GET]
rate_limit:
sustained: 5/min
burst: 2/s
Re-push with the config:
npx endpointwise push --spec ./openapi.yaml --config ./endpointwise.yaml
Step 5: Issue an API key
Issue a key from the dashboard or via the CLI:
npx endpointwise keys create \
--name "Partner: Acme Corp" \
--scope read \
--expires 2026-12-31
The key is shown once:
✓ Key created: sk_live_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0...
Name: Partner: Acme Corp
Scope: read
Expires: 2026-12-31
⚠ Store this key securely — it won't be shown again.
Step 6: Share with your partner
Give your partner:
- The docs URL:
https://docs.acme.endpointwise.io - Their API key:
sk_live_a1b2c3...
The reference page shows rate limits inline with each endpoint. The try-it console is pre-filled with the key. Your partner can test before writing a line of code.
Next steps
- Authentication — key scoping, rotation, and revocation
- Rate Limits — burst vs. sustained, per-key limits, 429 responses
- Webhooks — events for key rotation, rate limit breaches, upstream errors