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This guide walks you through your first API calls: creating a category, an evidence record, and verifying it on the blockchain.

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Prerequisites

  • A TimeLockData account
  • Your API key (X-API-Key)
  • A tool for making HTTP requests (curl, Postman, or any HTTP client)

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Step 1: Get Your API Key

Log in to the TimeLockData Dashboard and navigate to Administration > Source Systems to create a new source system and generate an API key.
Keep your API key secure and never expose it in client-side code or public repositories.

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Step 2: Test the Connection

Verify the API is reachable with a health check: 
curl -X GET "https://api.timelockdata.com/api/v1/test"
Expected response: 
{
  "status": "OK"
}

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Step 3: Create a Category

Categories organize your evidences. Replace {COMPANY_ID} with your company identifier. 
curl -X POST "https://api.timelockdata.com/api/v1/evidences/{COMPANY_ID}/category" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Equipment",
    "description": "Industrial equipment tracking"
  }'
Response: 
{
  "id": "cat-uuid-here"
}

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Step 4: Create a Subcategory

curl -X POST "https://api.timelockdata.com/api/v1/evidences/{COMPANY_ID}/category/{CATEGORY_ID}/subcategory" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Forklifts",
    "description": "Forklift fleet"
  }'

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Step 5: Create an Evidence

Register a digital event as an evidence record within your category and subcategory: 
curl -X POST "https://api.timelockdata.com/api/v1/evidences/{COMPANY_ID}/category/{CATEGORY_ID}/subcategory/{SUBCATEGORY_ID}/evidence" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
  -F "externalId=FORKLIFT-001" \
  -F "name=Forklift Unit 1" \
  -F "owner=Warehouse A" \
  -F "description=Toyota 8FGU25 forklift"
Response: 
{
  "id": "dt-uuid-here"
}
The evidence is now being anchored on the blockchain. This process is asynchronous.

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Step 6: Verify on the Blockchain

Once the evidence is confirmed on the blockchain, you can verify its existence using the public verification endpoint (no authentication required): 
curl -X GET "https://api.timelockdata.com/api/v1/merkle/verify/FORKLIFT-001"
This returns blockchain proof including the transaction ID, block number, Merkle proof, and TSA timestamp — proving that specific data existed in a specific state at a specific time.

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Next Steps

Authentication

Learn about API Key authentication

API Reference

Explore all available endpoints

Upload Files

Attach documents and images to evidences

Verification

Verify data integrity with blockchain proofs

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Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized — Verify your API key is correct and included in the X-API-Key header. 400 Bad Request — Check that required fields (name, externalId, owner) are present. Need help? Contact us at support@gate2chain.com.