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

# Quickstart

> Create your first patient in under 5 minutes.

# Quickstart

Get up and running with ClinikAPI in three steps.

## 1. Get Your API Key

Sign up at [dashboard.clinikapi.com](https://dashboard.clinikapi.com) and create an organization. You'll get two keys:

* `clk_test_*` — routes to the shared test datastore (safe to experiment with)
* `clk_live_*` — routes to production (available on paid plans)

## 2. Install the SDK

```bash theme={null}
npm install @clinikapi/sdk
```

<Warning>
  The SDK is **server-side only**. Never import it in client-side code — your API key would be exposed.
  For frontend UI, use `@clinikapi/react` with the proxy pattern.
</Warning>

## 3. Create a Patient

```ts theme={null}
import { Clinik } from '@clinikapi/sdk';

const clinik = new Clinik(process.env.CLINIKAPI_SECRET_KEY!);

async function main() {
  // Create a patient
  const { data: patient, meta } = await clinik.patients.create({
    firstName: 'Jane',
    lastName: 'Doe',
    email: 'jane.doe@example.com',
    gender: 'female',
    birthDate: '1990-03-15',
    address: {
      line: ['123 Main St'],
      city: 'Austin',
      state: 'TX',
      postalCode: '78701',
      country: 'US',
    },
  });

  console.log('Patient ID:', patient.id);
  console.log('Request ID:', meta.requestId);
  console.log('Rate limit remaining:', meta.rateLimitRemaining);

  // Read the patient back with related resources
  const { data: full } = await clinik.patients.read(patient.id!, {
    include: ['Encounter', 'Observation'],
  });

  console.log('Encounters:', full.encounters.length);
  console.log('Observations:', full.observations.length);

  // Search patients
  const { data: results } = await clinik.patients.search({
    name: 'Doe',
    count: 10,
  });

  console.log('Found:', results.data.length, 'patients');
}

main();
```

## Response Format

Every SDK method returns `ApiResponse<T>`:

```ts theme={null}
interface ApiResponse<T> {
  data: T;          // The resource or result
  meta: {
    requestId: string;           // For support tickets
    timestamp: string;           // ISO 8601
    status: number;              // HTTP status
    rateLimitTotal?: number;     // Requests allowed per window
    rateLimitRemaining?: number; // Requests left
    rateLimitReset?: number;     // Seconds until reset
  };
}
```

## Using Test vs Live Keys

| Key Prefix   | Environment | Datastore                                        |
| ------------ | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `clk_test_*` | Sandbox     | Shared test datastore                            |
| `clk_live_*` | Production  | Shared prod (Free/Pro) or dedicated (Enterprise) |

Test keys are available on all plans including Sandbox. Use them for development and testing — data is isolated from production.

## Next Steps

* [Authentication](/authentication) — how API keys and tenant isolation work
* [Patients Guide](/guides/patients) — deep dive into patient operations
* [Webhooks](/guides/webhooks) — get notified on resource changes
* [Error Handling](/sdk/error-handling) — handle errors gracefully