> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.promptjoy.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.promptjoy.com/api/api-usage.md).

# API Usage

Using an API created with PromptJoy can be done in several programming languages. This guide will show you how to use the book search API (<https://preview.promptjoy.com/apis/mVMCpq>) we created earlier. For this API, we will be making a POST request to `https://api.promptjoy.com/api/mVMCpq` with a JSON payload containing the book search query.

The general API request looks like this:

**Endpoint:** <https://api.promptjoy.com/api/mVMCpq>&#x20;

**HTTP Method:** POST&#x20;

**Headers:**

* Content-Type: application/json
* x-api-key: sk-6200906b6fcc732e9265028f53d5d6f01575a162&#x20;

**Data/Payload:**

```json
{
  "query": "your_search_term"
}
```

\
Before diving into language-specific examples, let's talk about how to store your API key as an environment variable. Environment variables are a great way to keep sensitive information like API keys out of your source code. Here's how to do it:

1. **Windows:** Open a new Command Prompt window and type `setx PROMPTJOY_API_KEY "your_api_key"` then press Enter. Replace "your\_api\_key" with your actual API key.
2. **macOS/Linux:** Open a new Terminal window and type `export PROMPTJOY_API_KEY="your_api_key"` then press Enter. Replace "your\_api\_key" with your actual API key.

You can then access this environment variable in your code using the specific syntax for your programming language. This will be covered in each language-specific example.

Here's how you can make the request using `curl`, a command-line tool used for transferring data with URLs.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.promptjoy.com/api/mVMCpq \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'x-api-key: '$PROMPTJOY_API_KEY \
-d '{"query":"your_search_term"}'


```

\
Replace "your\_search\_term" with the book you're searching for. The response will be a JSON object containing the search results.

For language-specific examples, please navigate to the sections for Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Go, Java, and C#. Each section will provide a detailed guide on how to use the book search API in the respective language.<br>