--- title: "Onboard your first customer" --- In this guide, you will learn how to onboard your first customer with our API. A customer can be either a business or an individual. By the end of this guide, you will know how to: * [Create an account on Gravv](/getting-started/onboard-your-first-customer#create-an-account-on-gravv) * [Obtain your Api Key](/getting-started/onboard-your-first-customer#obtain-your-api-key) * [Make your first request](/getting-started/onboard-your-first-customer#make-your-first-request) ## Create an account on Gravv You need a [Gravv account](https://app.gravv.xyz) to use the API. If you don't have an account, follow these steps: 1. Visit the [registration page](https://app.gravv.xyz/auth/register). 2. Enter your `First name`, `Last name`, `Email address`, and `Business name` in the appropriate fields. > ๐Ÿ“˜ Note > > You can only create an account with a business email address. 3. Check the box to agree to the **Terms of use** and **Privacy policy**. 4. Click **Sign up**. ![The register page of Gravv](/images/readme/8902b98f9873569f6e99613c1d177ef27901e45b8d537f3f47567da9c9b77b52-create-account.png) 5. Check your email for a verification message and visit the link to complete your registration. ## Obtain your Api Key Every request to the Gravv API requires an `Api-Key`. After creating a Gravv account, we generate two pairs of API keys for you: a publishable `Public Key` and a server-side `Secret Key`, for both [Sandbox and Live](/getting-started/environments) modes. To obtain your `Api-Key`, follow these steps: 1. Sign in to your Gravv Dashboard with your registered business email address. 2. Click `Manage` in the side navigation. ![Gravv dashboard with the Manage button highlighted in the side navigation.](/images/readme/2696978047de1055957f7a91e3ffe36fef5520e5fd2041b0c083f7c927db95ab-manage-button.png) 3. Click `Configure` under the `Manage` section. ![Gravv dashboard with the Configure button highlighted under the Manage section.](/images/readme/dac55e888cc69b0afe493e9c4edac6f6c4682a09eb4f6f0580e2859bec8d8062-configure-button.png) 4. Now click `API keys`, then click the copy button under `Secret Key` to copy your Secret Key. ![Gravv dashboard Configure page with the API Keys button, Secret Key heading, and copy button highlighted.](/images/readme/f6fe73a6060f4152b95e714c0dc6f671c0cfedf748b878e289ad96bb78f0e784-configure-page.png) ## Make your first request Now that you have obtained your `Secret key`, you can make your first request. In the following example, you will learn how to call the Gravv API to [Add a customer](/api-reference/customers/post-v1-customers) and confirm a successful response. ### Before you begin To complete this tutorial, you will need the following: * Your `Secret Key` before making requests. If you haven't obtained it yet, follow the steps in the [Obtain your API key](/getting-started/onboard-your-first-customer#obtain-your-api-key) section. * Basic understanding of REST APIs and [cURL](https://curl.se/) ### Create an individual customer Individual customers are persons who will use your platform for personal transactions. #### Create and send a request Make a `POST` request to the Gravv API. Replace the values in angle brackets `<...>` with your actual details before running the request: ```bash title="create an individual customer request" curl -X POST https://api.gravv.xyz/v1/customers \ -H "Api-Key: " \ -H 'Idempotency-Key: 979879887678789_attempt_1' \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "first_name": "", "last_name": "", "middle_name": "", "email": "", "phone": "", "type": "individual", "gender": "", "date_of_birth": "", "address": { "address_line1": "", "city": "", "country": "", "postal_code": "", "state": "" } }' ``` > ๐Ÿ“˜ Note > > `first_name` and `last_name` are required fields. `middle_name` is optional and should only be provided if it appears on the customer's ID. #### Confirm response A successful response will return the details from your request body, similar to this: ```json title="create an individual customer response" { "data": { "address": { "address_line1": "Same Global Housing Estate", "city": "Lokogoma", "country": "NG", "postal_code": "900107", "state": "NG-FC" }, "date_of_birth": "2024-04-16", "email": "jane.doe@example.com", "first_name": "Jane", "gender": "female", "id": "0d3c3c62-95ca-4ca9-a8ac-a262e597ba99", "last_name": "Doe", "middle_name": "Sample", "phone": "+15555550100", "status": "active", "type": "individual" }, "error": null } ``` ### Create a business customer Business customers are companies or organizations that will use your platform for business transactions. Business customers must include at least one associated person, such as a director or beneficial owner. #### Supported business industries When creating a business customer, the `business_industry` field must be one of the following: * Retail & E-commerce * Information, Software & Technology * Corporate & Legal Services * Foundations & Nonprofit Organizations * Marketing & Advertising * Financial Services (Fintech and related) * Investment Services * Insurance Services * Entertainment & Media * Hiring & HR Platforms * Crypto & Blockchains * Supply Chain & Logistics * Health & Medical Services * Regulated Financial Institutions (Banks, Security Brokers) * Gaming & Betting Platforms (Licensed). #### Create and send a request Make a `POST` request to the Gravv API. Replace the values in angle brackets `<...>` with your actual details before running the request: ```bash title="create a business customer request" curl -X POST https://api.gravv.xyz/v1/customers \ -H "Api-Key: " \ -H 'Idempotency-Key: 979879887678789_attempt_1' \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "type": "business", "email": "", "phone": "", "business_name": "", "business_description": "", "business_type": "", "business_industry": "", "registration_number": "", "address": { "address_line1": "", "address_line2": "", "city": "", "postal_code": "", "state": "", "country": "" }, "associated_persons": [ { "first_name": "", "last_name": "", "email": "", "phone": "", "gender": "", "date_of_birth": "", "address": { "address_line1": "", "city": "", "postal_code": "", "state": "", "country": "" } } ] }' ``` > ๐Ÿ“˜ Note > > All fields shown above are required for business customers. You must include at least one associated person with their complete details. #### Confirm response A successful response will return the details from your request body, similar to this: ```json title="create a business customer response" { "data": { "id": "d7052709-dc3f-4fa4-9173-164a4879b71f", "type": "business", "email": "contact@acmecorp.com", "phone": "+12025550173", "business_name": "Acme Corporation", "business_description": "Technology and software development", "business_type": "private_limited", "business_industry": "Technology", "registration_number": "RC-987654", "status": "active", "date_added": "2025-11-10T12:34:38.007951727+01:00", "address": { "address_line1": "1800 N Pole St", "address_line2": "Suite 202", "city": "Orlando", "postal_code": "32801", "state": "US-FL", "country": "US" }, "associated_persons": [ { "id": "7635ef7a-4b79-4bc5-b120-5ba03c2314a8", "first_name": "Jane", "last_name": "Doe", "email": "jane.doe@acmecorp.com", "phone": "+15555550102", "date_of_birth": "1990-06-15", "gender": "female", "type": "ubo", "status": "active", "date_added": "2025-11-10T12:34:38.124730478+01:00", "address": { "address_line1": "1800 N Pole St", "address_line2": "Suite 202", "city": "Orlando", "postal_code": "32801", "state": "US-FL", "country": "US" } } ] }, "error": null } ``` ## What next? Now that youโ€™ve onboarded your first customer, youโ€™re ready to build a full integration. Continue with [Your first Gravv integration](/getting-started/your-first-gravv-integration) to learn how to: * Onboard multiple customers * Verify customers with KYC * Fund accounts * Transfer funds between accounts