BoardAPI Documentation

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First Board Tutorial ​

Quick Start - 10 minutes

Prerequisites: API Key from Developer Dashboard

This tutorial walks you through creating your first collaborative whiteboard from scratch.

Step 1: Get Your API Key ​

  1. Visit Developer Dashboard
  2. Create a new organization
  3. Copy your API key
  4. Keep it secure - never commit to version control

Step 2: Create Your First Board ​

bash
curl -X POST https://api.boardapi.io/api/v1/boards \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "My First Board",
    "expires_in_hours": 24
  }'

Response:

json
{
  "board_uuid": "abc-123-def",
  "title": "My First Board",
  "access_links": {
    "host": "https://app.boardapi.io/board/abc-123?token=host-token-here",
    "guest": "https://app.boardapi.io/board/abc-123?token=guest-token-here"
  },
  "expires_at": "2025-11-30T12:00:00Z"
}

Step 3: Open Your Board ​

Click the host link from the response - this gives you full edit permissions.

You should see:

  • Empty canvas (Excalidraw interface)
  • Drawing tools on the left
  • Real-time collaboration ready

Step 4: Share with Others ​

Share the guest link with collaborators. They can:

  • View and edit in real-time
  • See each other's cursors
  • No login required

Step 5: Add Content via API ​

You can also programmatically add elements:

bash
curl -X POST https://api.boardapi.io/api/v1/boards/abc-123/elements \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "text",
    "x": 100,
    "y": 100,
    "text": "Hello from API!"
  }'

Next Steps ​

Learn More

Common First-Time Issues ​

Authentication Error

Error: 401 Unauthorized

Solution: Check your API key is correct and organization is active

Board Not Loading

Error: Blank screen after clicking link

Solution: Check browser console, ensure CORS is configured for your domain

What You've Learned ​

  • How to create boards via API
  • Difference between host and guest links
  • How to share boards with collaborators
  • Basic board lifecycle (expiration)

Ready to dive deeper? Continue to Core Concepts.