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Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with the SanctionSnap API in just a few minutes

Prerequisites

1. Get an API Key

Sign up for a free account to get your API key. You'll get 250 free requests per month.

Get Your API Key

2. Base URL

All API requests should be made to:

https://sanctionsnap.com/api

Your First API Call

Let's make a simple search request to check if a name appears on any sanctions lists

1. Basic Search

Search for a name across all sanctions lists:

curl -X POST "https://sanctionsnap.com/api/search" \
     -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"name": "Vladimir Putin"}'

2. Response Format

The API returns an array of matching entities with similarity scores:

[
  {
    "id": 12345,
    "source": "ofac",
    "uid": "12345",
    "name": "PUTIN, Vladimir Vladimirovich",
    "aliases": ["Vladimir Putin", "Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin"],
    "listed_on": "2014-03-20",
    "similarity_score": 0.95,
    "entity_type": "individual",
    "country": "Russia",
    "program": "RUSSIA-EO13661",
    "title": "President of the Russian Federation",
    "details": "DOB: 07 Oct 1952; POB: Leningrad, Russia"
  }
]

Common Use Cases

Batch Screening

Screen multiple names at once:

curl -X POST "https://sanctionsnap.com/api/screen" \
     -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "records": [
         {"name": "John Smith", "id": "customer_001"},
         {"name": "Jane Doe", "id": "customer_002"}
       ]
     }'

Advanced Search

Filter by country, entity type, or specific sanctions program:

curl -X POST "https://sanctionsnap.com/api/search/advanced" \
     -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "query": "Smith",
       "country": "Iran",
       "entity_type": "individual",
       "limit": 10
     }'

Check Usage

Monitor your API usage and limits:

curl -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
     https://sanctionsnap.com/api/usage

Rate Limits

Understanding API rate limits and quotas

Request Limits

Per Minute

60 requests/minute

Monthly Quotas

Based on your plan

Rate Limit Headers

Every response includes rate limit information:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 60
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 59
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640995200

Error Handling

HTTP Status Codes

200Success
400Bad Request
401Unauthorized
429Rate Limited
500Internal Server Error

Error Response Format

{
  "error": "Invalid API key",
  "message": "The provided API key is invalid or has been revoked"
}

Next Steps

Now that you've made your first API call, explore these resources:

View Full API ReferenceBrowse Code Examples