Welcome to the #about Documentation

The complete reference guide for integrating, building, and scaling with the #about platform. Everything you need to get started and build production-grade applications.

⚡

Quick Start

Get up and running in under 5 minutes with our step-by-step guide.

📡

API Reference

Complete REST API documentation with interactive examples.

🔐

Authentication

Learn about API keys, OAuth 2.0, and session management.

🪝

Webhooks

Set up real-time event notifications for your integrations.

💡

Tip Use the sidebar to navigate between sections. The documentation is organized by topic for easy reference.

⚡ Quick Start

Get your first #about integration up and running in minutes. This guide walks you through the essential steps to authenticate, make your first API call, and process responses.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ or Python 3.10+
An #about account with API access enabled
Basic familiarity with REST APIs

✅

Ready to go? If you don't have an account yet, sign up for free and grab your API key from the dashboard.

Step 1: Install the SDK

Terminal

# Install via npm
npm install @about/sdk

# or yarn
yarn add @about/sdk

# or pnpm
pnpm add @about/sdk

Terminal

# Install via pip
pip install about-sdk

# or for the latest dev version
pip install git+https://github.com/about/sdk-python.git

HTML

<script src="https://cdn.about.dev/sdk/v3.2/about.min.js"></script>

Terminal

# Direct API call without SDK
curl https://api.about.dev/v3/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Step 2: Initialize the Client

JavaScript

import { AboutClient } from '@about/sdk';

const client = new AboutClient({
  apiKey: process.env.ABOUT_API_KEY,
  environment: 'production',  // or 'sandbox'
  timeout: 5000,
  retries: 3,
});

// Make your first API call
const projects = await client.projects.list();
console.log(`Found ${projects.total} projects`);

Python

from about import AboutClient

client = AboutClient(
    api_key="your-api-key-here",
    environment="production",
    timeout=5.0,
    max_retries=3,
)

# Make your first API call
projects = client.projects.list()
print(f"Found {projects.total} projects")

Step 3: Make Your First Call

JavaScript

// Create a new project
const project = await client.projects.create({
    name: "My Awesome Project",
    description: "Built with #about SDK",
    visibility: "private",
    tags: ["tutorial", "new"],
});

console.log(`Created project: ${project.id}`);
// Output: Created project: proj_abc123def456

🎉

Success! You've made your first #about API call. Next, explore the full API reference or dive into authentication details.

📦 Installation

#about offers SDKs for multiple platforms. Choose the one that best fits your stack.

Supported Platforms

Platform	Package	Version	Status
JavaScript / TypeScript	`@about/sdk`	3.2.1	Stable
Python	`about-sdk`	3.2.0	Stable
Ruby	`about-ruby`	3.1.4	Stable
Go	`github.com/about/go-sdk`	3.2.0	Stable
PHP	`about/about-php`	3.0.2	Beta
Rust	`about-rs`	0.9.0	Beta

Install via Package Manager

Choose your language and install the latest version using your preferred package manager.

Verify Installation

Run about --version to confirm the SDK is properly installed.

Configure Environment Variables

Add your API key to your environment: export ABOUT_API_KEY="your-key-here"

Start Building

Import the SDK and start making API calls. Check the Quick Start guide for a complete walkthrough.

📁 Project Structure

When using the #about CLI to scaffold a new project, the following directory structure is generated:

Terminal

my-about-project/
├── .about/                  # Configuration & secrets
│   ├── config.json          # Project configuration
│   └── secrets.env          # Environment secrets
├── src/
│   ├── index.js             # Entry point
│   ├── routes/              # API route handlers
│   │   ├── projects.js
│   │   └── webhooks.js
│   ├── services/            # Business logic
│   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   └── content.js
│   └── utils/               # Helper functions
│       └── helpers.js
├── tests/
│   ├── __fixtures__/
│   └── integration.test.js
├── package.json
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

🔐 Authentication

The #about API uses API keys and OAuth 2.0 for authentication. All API requests must include an authentication credential.

API Keys

API keys are the simplest way to authenticate. Include your key in the Authorization header of every request:

HTTP

GET /v3/projects HTTP/2
Host: api.about.dev
Authorization: Bearer about_live_sk_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0
Content-Type: application/json
X-About-Client-Id: client_abc123

⚠️

Security Warning Never expose your API keys in client-side code or public repositories. Use environment variables and server-side proxying.

Key Types

Type	Prefix	Scope	Use Case
Sandbox	`about_test_sk_`	Full access (test mode)	Development & testing
Production	`about_live_sk_`	Full access (live mode)	Production deployments
Restricted	`about_live_rk_`	Limited scope	Third-party integrations

OAuth 2.0

For applications that act on behalf of users, use OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow:

JavaScript

import { OAuthClient } from '@about/sdk/oauth';

const oauth = new OAuthClient({
    clientId: "your-client-id",
    clientSecret: process.env.CLIENT_SECRET,
    redirectUri: "https://yourapp.com/callback",
    scopes: ["projects:read", "projects:write", "analytics:read"],
});

// Step 1: Get authorization URL
const authUrl = oauth.getAuthorizationUrl();

// Step 2: Exchange code for tokens
const tokens = await oauth.exchangeCode(code);

// Step 3: Create authenticated client
const client = new AboutClient({
    accessToken: tokens.accessToken,
    refreshToken: tokens.refreshToken,
});

📌

Token Expiration Access tokens expire after 1 hour. Use the refresh token to obtain a new access token without re-authentication.

⚙️ Configuration

The #about platform can be configured via environment variables, configuration files, or the SDK client constructor.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`ABOUT_API_KEY`	Your API key for authentication	—	Yes
`ABOUT_ENVIRONMENT`	API environment: `sandbox` or `production`	`sandbox`	No
`ABOUT_BASE_URL`	Custom API base URL	`https://api.about.dev/v3`	No
`ABOUT_TIMEOUT`	Request timeout in milliseconds	`5000`	No
`ABOUT_MAX_RETRIES`	Maximum retry attempts for failed requests	`3`	No
`ABOUT_LOG_LEVEL`	Logging verbosity: `silent`, `info`, `debug`	`info`	No

Configuration File

JSON

{
  "apiKey": "about_live_sk_...",
  "environment": "production",
  "timeout": 5000,
  "retries": 3,
  "logLevel": "info",
  "regions": {
    "default": "us-east-1",
    "analytics": "eu-west-1"
  }
}

📡 API Reference

Our REST API is organized around resources. Every API call follows the pattern /v3/{resource} and returns JSON responses.

📌

API Base URL https://api.about.dev/v3

Users

GET /v3/users/me

Get the authenticated user's profile information.

Headers

Authorization Required

Bearer API key. Example: Bearer about_live_sk_...

Response

                                JSON — 200 OK
                            

                                {
  "id": "usr_xyz789",
  "name": "Alex Johnson",
  "email": "alex@example.com",
  "role": "admin",
  "avatar": "https://cdn.about.dev/avatars/usr_xyz789.jpg",
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T08:30:00Z",
  "plan": {
    "tier": "professional",
    "api_calls_limit": 100000,
    "api_calls_used": 2341
  }
}
                            

Status Codes

200 Successfully retrieved user profile

401 Unauthorized — Invalid or missing API key

POST /v3/users

Create a new team member or user account.

Request Body

name string Required

Full name of the user. Maximum 100 characters.

email string Required

Valid email address. Must not already be in use.

role enum Required

One of: admin, member, viewer

metadata object Optional

Custom key-value pairs for additional user data.

Response

                                JSON — 201 Created
                            

                                {
  "id": "usr_new123",
  "name": "New User",
  "email": "new@example.com",
  "role": "member",
  "invitation_sent": true,
  "created_at": "2025-01-20T12:00:00Z"
}
                            

Projects

GET /v3/projects

List all projects with optional filtering and pagination.

Query Parameters

page integer Optional

Page number for pagination. Default: 1

per_page integer Optional

Results per page. Range: 1-100. Default: 20

sort string Optional

Sort field: created_at, name, updated_at. Prefix with - for descending.

status enum Optional

Filter by status: active, archived, draft

Analytics

POST /v3/analytics/query

Execute an analytics query to retrieve metrics and reports. Beta

Request Body

metrics array Required

List of metrics to retrieve. Examples: pageviews, conversions, revenue

date_range object Required

Date range object with start and end dates (ISO 8601 format).

granularity enum Optional

Data granularity: hourly, daily, weekly, monthly. Default: daily

dimensions array Optional

Dimensions to group results by. Examples: country, device, source

Response

                                JSON — 200 OK
                            

                                {
  "query_id": "q_abc123",
  "status": "completed",
  "data": {
    "pageviews": [{"date":"2025-01-01","value":1234},{"date":"2025-01-02","value":1567}],
    "conversions": [{"date":"2025-01-01","value":42},{"date":"2025-01-02","value":58}]
  },
  "summary": {
    "total_pageviews": 2801,
    "total_conversions": 100,
    "conversion_rate": 0.0357
  }
}
                            

🪝 Webhooks

Webhooks allow you to receive real-time notifications when events occur in your #about account. Configure webhook endpoints to subscribe to specific event types.

Event Types

Event	Trigger	Available
`project.created`	A new project is created	Stable
`project.updated`	A project is modified	Stable
`project.deleted`	A project is permanently deleted	Stable
`user.invited`	A new team member is invited	Stable
`analytics.report_ready`	Analytics report generation completes	Beta
`payment.failed`	A payment or subscription charge fails	Stable

Webhook Payload

JSON

{
  "id": "evt_abc123",
  "type": "project.created",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-20T15:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "project": {
      "id": "proj_xyz789",
      "name": "New Project",
      "status": "active",
      "owner_id": "usr_def456"
    }
  },
  "signature": "sha256=abc123def456..."
}

⚠️

Verify Signatures Always verify the webhook signature using the X-About-Signature header to ensure the payload originated from #about.

📊 Rate Limiting

API requests are rate-limited to ensure fair usage and platform stability. Limits vary by plan tier.

Plan	Requests / Minute	Requests / Day	Burst Limit
Free	60	1,000	10
Starter	300	10,000	30
Professional	1,000	100,000	100
Enterprise	10,000	Unlimited	500

📌

Rate Limit Headers Every API response includes rate limit information: X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset

🔄 Migrations

Follow these guides when migrating between API versions or upgrading your integration.

v2 → v3 Migration

🚨

Breaking Changes v3 introduces several breaking changes. Review the migration guide carefully before upgrading.

Key Changes

Base URL: Changed from api.about.dev/api to api.about.dev/v3
Pagination: Replaced cursor-based pagination with offset-based pagination
Response format: Wrapped responses in { data, meta, links } envelope
Error format: Standardized error objects with { code, message, details }
Auth headers: Now requires Bearer prefix (v2 used Token)

Migration Helper

# Run the migration helper to audit your codebase
npx @about/migrate v2-to-v3

# It will:
# ✓ Detect deprecated API calls
# ✓ Update base URLs
# ✓ Suggest auth header changes
# ✓ Generate a migration report

🚀 Deployment

Deploy your #about-integrated application to any major cloud platform with our deployment guides.

▲

Vercel

Deploy with zero configuration using the Vercel CLI.

☁️

AWS

Deploy to Lambda, ECS, or EC2 with CloudFormation templates.

🟦

Docker

Official Docker images and multi-stage build instructions.

🐳

Kubernetes

Helm charts and K8s manifests for container orchestration.

🔷

Azure

Deploy to Azure App Service and Functions with Bicep templates.

🔵

Google Cloud

Deploy to Cloud Run, GKE, or App Engine with gcloud CLI.

✨ Best Practices

Follow these guidelines to build reliable, efficient, and secure integrations with the #about platform.

Error Handling

JavaScript

try {
    const project = await client.projects.create(payload);
} catch (error) {
    if (error.code === 'RATE_LIMITED') {
        // Implement exponential backoff
        await sleep(error.retry_after * 1000);
        return retry(payload);
    }

    if (error.code === 'VALIDATION_ERROR') {
        error.details.forEach(detail => {
            console.error(`${detail.field}: ${detail.message}`);
        });
    }

    throw error; // Re-throw for upstream handling
}

Security Checklist

✓ Always use ABOUT_ENVIRONMENT=sandbox during development
✓ Store API keys in environment variables, never in code
✓ Use restricted API keys for third-party integrations
✓ Implement webhook signature verification
✓ Use HTTPS for all API calls
✓ Rotate API keys periodically
✓ Enable IP allowlisting for production keys

📋 Changelog

Stay up to date with the latest releases, features, and fixes.

v3.2.1

January 22, 2025

Fix Fixed pagination cursor encoding in list endpoints

v3.2.0

January 15, 2025

Feature Added analytics query endpoint (Beta)
Feature New users/list endpoint with filtering
Docs Updated all SDK documentation and examples

v3.1.4

January 3, 2025

Fix Corrected webhook retry logic for failed deliveries

v3.1.3

December 18, 2024

Feature Added EU region support for analytics endpoints
Breaking Dropped Node.js 16 support

v3.1.2

December 5, 2024

Fix Resolved SDK initialization race condition
Docs Added migration guide for v2 → v3

📚 SDK Reference

Complete API reference for each supported SDK. Browse by language for detailed type signatures and method descriptions.

🟨

JavaScript / TypeScript

@about/sdk v3.2.1 — Full TypeScript support with complete type definitions.

🐍

Python

about-sdk v3.2.0 — Async and sync clients with type hints.

🔮

Ruby

about-ruby v3.1.4 — Idiomatic Ruby DSL with lazy loading.

🐹

Go

go-sdk v3.2.0 — Concurrent-safe client with context support.

🐘

PHP

about-php v3.0.2 — PSR-18 compatible HTTP client.

🦀

Rust

about-rs v0.9.0 — Async with Tokio, zero-copy deserialization.

❓ FAQ

How do I get my API key?

Log in to your #about dashboard, navigate to Settings → API Keys, and click "Generate New Key". Keep your keys secure and never share them publicly.

Is there a free tier?

Yes! Our free tier includes 1,000 API calls per day with sandbox access. No credit card required to get started.

What happens when I exceed my rate limit?

You'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests response. The response includes a Retry-After header indicating how many seconds to wait before making another request. We recommend implementing exponential backoff.

Can I use #about with serverless functions?

Absolutely. Our SDKs are designed to work seamlessly with AWS Lambda, Cloudflare Workers, Vercel Functions, and all other serverless platforms. Cold start times are optimized to under 50ms.

How do I handle webhook retries?

We retry failed webhook deliveries 3 times with exponential backoff (1min, 5min, 15min). If all retries fail, the event is sent to your dead-letter queue. Always respond with a 200 OK status to acknowledge receipt.

💬 Support

Need help? We're here for you.

💬

Enterprise Support Enterprise customers receive dedicated Slack channels, priority response (SLA: 1 hour), and a dedicated account manager.

← Previous Installation Next → Authentication

Welcome to the #about Documentation

Quick Start

API Reference

Authentication

Webhooks

⚡ Quick Start

Prerequisites

Step 1: Install the SDK

Step 2: Initialize the Client

Step 3: Make Your First Call

📦 Installation

Supported Platforms

Install via Package Manager

Verify Installation

Configure Environment Variables

Start Building

📁 Project Structure

🔐 Authentication

API Keys

Key Types

OAuth 2.0

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Configuration File

📡 API Reference

Users

Headers

Response

Status Codes

Request Body

Response

Projects

Query Parameters

Analytics

Request Body

Response

🪝 Webhooks

Event Types

Webhook Payload

📊 Rate Limiting

🔄 Migrations

v2 → v3 Migration

Key Changes

🚀 Deployment

Vercel

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Azure

Google Cloud

✨ Best Practices

Error Handling

Security Checklist

📋 Changelog

📚 SDK Reference

JavaScript / TypeScript

Python

Ruby

Go

PHP

Rust

❓ FAQ

💬 Support

Live Chat

Email Support

Community

Report a Bug