---
title: API Getting Started Guide
description: Get started working with the Teleport API programmatically using Go.
---

# Getting Started

In this getting started guide we will use the Teleport API Go client to connect
to a Teleport Auth Service.

Here are the steps we'll walkthrough:

1. Create an API user using a simple role-based authentication method.
2. Generate credentials for that user.
3. Create and connect a Go client to interact with Teleport's API.

## Prerequisites

- Install [Go](https://golang.org/doc/install) (=teleport.golang=)+ and Go development environment.
- Set up Teleport through one of our [getting started guides](../try-out-teleport/introduction.mdx). You can also begin a [free trial](https://goteleport.com/signup/) of Teleport Cloud.

## Step 1/3. Create a user

(!docs/pages/includes/permission-warning.mdx!)

<Admonition type="tip" title="Tip">
  Read [API authorization](./architecture.mdx#authorization) to learn more about defining custom roles for your API client.
</Admonition>

Create a user `api-admin` with the built-in role `editor`:

```code
# Run this directly on your Auth Server unless you are using Teleport Cloud
# Add a user and login via the Proxy Service
$ sudo tctl users add api-admin --roles=editor
```

## Step 2/3. Generate client credentials

Log in as the newly created user with `tsh`.

```code
# generate tsh profile
$ tsh login --user=api-admin --proxy=tele.example.com
```

The [Profile Credentials loader](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/gravitational/teleport/api/client#LoadProfile)
will automatically retrieve Credentials from the current profile in the next step.

## Step 3/3. Create a Go project

Set up a new [Go module](https://golang.org/doc/tutorial/create-module) and import the `client` package:

```code
$ mkdir client-demo && cd client-demo
$ go mod init client-demo
$ go get github.com/gravitational/teleport/api/client
```

<Admonition type="tip" title="API Version">
To ensure compatibility, you should use a version of Teleport's API library that matches
the major version of Teleport running in your cluster.

To find the pseudoversion appropriate for a go.mod file for a specific git tag,
run the following command from the `teleport` repository:

```code
$ go list -f '{{.Version}}' -m "github.com/gravitational/teleport/api@$(git rev-parse v12.1.0)"
v0.0.0-20230307032901-49a6de744a3a
```
</Admonition>

Create a file called `main.go`, modifying the `Addrs` strings as needed:

```go
package main

import (
	"context"
	"log"

	"github.com/gravitational/teleport/api/client"
)

func main() {
	ctx := context.Background()

	clt, err := client.New(ctx, client.Config{
		Addrs: []string{
			// Teleport Cloud customers should use <tenantname>.teleport.sh
			"tele.example.com:443",
			"tele.example.com:3025",
			"tele.example.com:3024",
			"tele.example.com:3080",
 		},
		Credentials: []client.Credentials{
			client.LoadProfile("", ""),
		},
	})

	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("failed to create client: %v", err)
	}

	defer clt.Close()
	resp, err := clt.Ping(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("failed to ping server: %v", err)
	}

	log.Printf("Example success!")
	log.Printf("Example server response: %s", resp)
	log.Printf("Server version: %s", resp.ServerVersion)
}
```

Now you can run the program and connect the client to the Teleport Auth Server to fetch the server version.

```code
$ go run main.go
```

## Next steps

- Learn about [pkg.go.dev](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/gravitational/teleport/api/client)
- Learn how to use [the client](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/gravitational/teleport/api/client#Client)
- Learn how to [work with credentials](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/gravitational/teleport/api/client#Credentials)
- Read about Teleport [API architecture](./architecture.mdx) for an in-depth overview of the API and API clients.
- Read [API authorization](./architecture.mdx#authorization) to learn more about defining custom roles for your API client.
- Review the `client` [pkg.go reference documentation](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/gravitational/teleport/api/client) for more information about working with the Teleport API programmatically.
- Familiarize yourself with the [admin manual](../management/admin.mdx) to make the best use of the API.