# nCore API Quick Tutorial
By using this quick tutorial in our *Getting Started Guide*, you should understand how to:
### **Sign up to get the API key**
Please click the ‘sign-up’ link below to create an account and get access to the nCore platform.
> [nCore Platform sign-up](https://portal.sand.platform.nymcard.com/default/login)
*Note: If you want to use APIs from your client application or by directly using the URLs, then a valid API key is required. For reference on how to use this API key, please refer to section* [***AUTHENTICATION***](https://docs.nymcard.com/api-core-principles#authentication)*.*
### **Run** the API collection in Postman
You can run the NymCard API collection in Postman by clicking the following button:
[](https://god.gw.postman.com/run-collection/19938718-ce866362-3acf-4546-8ae4-9b5a15f99811?action=collection%2Ffork\&source=rip_markdown\&collection-url=entityId%3D19938718-ce866362-3acf-4546-8ae4-9b5a15f99811%26entityType%3Dcollection%26workspaceId%3Da35ae74c-6160-4549-813e-78312747da79)
In your Postman environment, you'll need to define the ‘apikey’ variable.
For more information refer to the Postman's documentation about [managing environments](https://learning.postman.com/docs/sending-requests/managing-environments/).
### **Create a user**
You can create a user by sending a **POST** request to **/users** endpoint. After the user is created, save the received API response including the 'ID' field.
POST /users
**{**\
** `"first_name": "John",`**\
` `**`"last_name": “Smith”`**\
\&#xNAN;**`}`**
### **Retrieve a card product**
The card product acts as a template that defines general features and behaviors that are applicable to the cards belonging to that card product. Card product defines currency, PIN, authorization & other card characteristics.
Before creating a card, you must select the card product for which you want to create the card. Send a **GET** request to **/cardproducts** endpoint to retrieve card products.
> [**GET /cardproducts**](https://nymcard.com/docs/api#tag/Card-Products/operation/listCardProducts)
*Note: The APIs support pagination and sorting features, please refer to section*[ ***PAGINATION AND SORTING.***](https://docs.nymcard.com/api-core-principles#pagination-and-sorting)
### **Create a card**
A card generally refers to a payment instrument that allows its user to perform payment transactions at merchants. For example, a card type could be referred to as a virtual card or a physical card.
You can create a card by sending a **POST** request to **/cards** endpoint. You are required to include below details in your POST message body.
* User ID - A unique ID of the user for whom you want to create a card
* Card Product ID - A unique ID of the card product for which you want to create a card
After the card is created save the received API response, including the 'ID' field, as this is the card's unique Identification.
The code sample below is a request that creates a card.
POST /cards
**`{`**\
` `**`"user_id": "d089a80f-e641-4045-8a80-54841e4a7458",`**\
` `**`"card_type": “VIRTUAL”,`**\
` `**`"card_product_id": "b4eabfc-f839-4e51"`**\
\&#xNAN;**`}`**
### **Get card account**
When you create a card, an account is usually automatically created and linked to that card. This account is where the balance is maintained. You need a Card ID to retrieve this card account.
> [**GET /cards/{id}/accounts**](https://nymcard.com/docs/api#tag/Cards/operation/getCardAccounts)
{% hint style="info" %}
Note, that you can create a card without an account. It is configured on the card product level, where you have to set the 'link\_account\_to\_card' parameter as 'false'.
{% endhint %}
### **Fund a card account**
This account needs to be funded before the card can be used for transactions. You can load funds to the card account by sending a **POST** request to the **/accounts/{id}:loadfunds** endpoint. This will load funds from the program funding account to the card account.
POST /accounts/{id}:loadfunds
**`{`**\
` `**`"currency": "USD",`**\
` `**`"amount": 123.45`**\
\&#xNAN;**`}`**
### **Check card account balance**
After loading funds into the card account, you can check your balance by sending a **GET** request to the /**accounts/{id}** endpoint.
> [**GET /accounts/{id}**](https://nymcard.com/docs/api#tag/Accounts/operation/getAccount)
### **Control spending**
You can control cardholder’s balance and spending using balance limits and velocity limits.
**Balance limits** controls how much balance the user can have in his/her account. Create a balance limit through sending a **POST** request to **/balancelimits** endpoint.
The code sample below is a request that creates a balance limit.
POST /balancelimits
**`{`**\
` `**`"description": "Some description of the balance limit",`**\
` `**`"type": "PER_ACCOUNT",`**\
` `**`"min_amount": 1500.1,`**\
` `**`"max_amount": 1500.1,`**\
` `**`"currency": "USD"`**\
\&#xNAN;**`}`**
**Velocity limits** controls how much the cardholder can spend in one transaction. It also controls how much and/or how many transactions the cardholder can perform in a certain time period (daily, monthly, yearly or all time). Create a velocity limit by sending a **POST** request to **/velocitylimits** endpoint.
POST /velocitylimits
**`{`**\
` `**`"description": "Some description of the velocity Limit",`**\
` `**`"type": "PER_TRANSACTION",`**\
` `**`"min_amount": 1500.1,`**\
` `**`"max_amount": 1500.1,`**\
` `**`"currency": “USD”,`**\
` `**`"frequency": 0,`**\
` `**`“period”: “DAILY”`**\
\&#xNAN;**`}`**