# Introduction (https://developer.godaddy.com/en/docs/api-users)

***

title: Introduction
description: Call GoDaddy's REST APIs directly from your code, scripts, or AI agents.
keywords: REST API overview, v1 v2 v3, OTE, sandbox, sso-key, base URL, developer platform, HTTP API
related:
guides:

* title: "Quickstart"
  href: "/docs/api-users/quickstart"
* title: "Authenticate"
  href: "/docs/api-users/auth"
* title: "Set up the CLI"
  href: "/docs/api-users/cli/set-up"
* title: "Agent skill for gddy"
  href: "/docs/api-users/cli/agent-skill"
* title: "Buy or bid on a domain"
  href: "/docs/api-users/buy-a-domain/instant-purchase"
  concepts:
* title: "Handle errors"
  href: "/docs/api-users/errors"
* title: "Rate limits"
  href: "/docs/api-users/rate-limits"

***

## Overview

GoDaddy's REST APIs give you direct programmatic access to the same platform capabilities that power GoDaddy's own products — through standard HTTP calls from your code, scripts, or AI agents.

**Domains** — search and register domains, manage DNS, and handle renewals, transfers, and forwarding.

**Auctions** — buy expired or expiring domains at a fixed price or through open bidding.

## What you can do

The APIs cover domain registration and management, domain auctions, and (for eligible accounts) a full suite of commerce capabilities. The following sections provide more information on the functionality of each API and links to instructions to complete specific tasks.

### Domains

GoDaddy Domains APIs give you programmatic access to the same platform capabilities that power GoDaddy's own domain products. You can:

### Auctions

The Auctions API gives you access to GoDaddy's domain auction marketplace — expired and expiring domains available at a fixed price or through competitive bidding. You can:

## Base URL

All API calls target `https://api.godaddy.com`.

All requests and responses use JSON. Every call requires an `Authorization` header. Most APIs take a [Personal Access Token](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/auth), but some require a Classic Developer Key instead. Review the [authentication requirements](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/auth) for the API you're calling. Read operations also need `Accept: application/json`, and write operations (`POST`, `PATCH`, `PUT`) additionally need `Content-Type: application/json`.

```bash
curl -s "https://api.godaddy.com/v1/domains" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GODADDY_PAT" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"
```

The API is stateless — no sessions, no cookies. Each request is independently authenticated and authorized. See the [REST Reference](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/references/rest) for the complete endpoint catalog.

## Credentials and access

Most APIs authenticate with a Personal Access Token (PAT) (a scoped Bearer token you generate from the [developer dashboard](https://developer.godaddy.com/personal-access-token)). PATs are tied to specific capability scopes, can be set to expire, and can be revoked individually without rotating any account-wide key. For most integrations, a PAT with the minimum required scopes is the right choice.

The Classic Developer Key (`sso-key`, a key/secret pair from ) is still supported for some APIs but is scheduled for deprecation. It doesn't work for v3 Domains APIs. New Domains integrations should use a PAT. Some APIs (like the [Auctions API](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/auctions)) require a Classic Developer Key and don't accept PATs. Review the [authentication requirements](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/auth) for the API you plan to call before you generate a credential.

**Account eligibility matters for write calls.** A valid credential isn't enough on its own. Some operations require the account to meet additional eligibility requirements:

* Read operations (availability search, domain listing, DNS reads) work with any valid credential on any account.
* Write operations that cost money (registration, renewal, transfer, and payment operations) require the account to have a valid billing method on file or a funded [Good as Gold](https://www.godaddy.com/help/what-is-good-as-gold-3359) balance.

If an account doesn't meet these requirements, the API returns `403 Forbidden`. To determine whether the failure is a scope problem or an account eligibility problem, check the `code` field in the response body. The HTTP status alone doesn't distinguish between the two.

Go to [How to Authenticate](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/auth/how-to) to create credentials, or [About Authentication](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/auth) for the full reference.

## First call

Follow the [Quickstart](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/quickstart) to generate a Personal Access Token and make your first call in under five minutes. If you prefer command-line workflows over raw `curl`, [set up the CLI](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/cli/set-up) first.