# API Access

:::note{title="Beta"}

API Monetization is in beta and free to try. The APIs are stable but should be
evaluated in non-production environments first. To go to production, contact
[sales@zuplo.com](mailto:sales@zuplo.com). Production pricing has not yet been
announced.

:::

## Buckets

Each Zuplo project includes three isolated buckets that mirror your
[environment structure](../environments.mdx):

| Bucket           | Purpose                                                       |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Working Copy** | Your development sandbox for building and testing             |
| **Preview**      | Staging environments for validating changes before production |
| **Production**   | Your live environment serving real customers                  |

Meters, features, plans, and subscriptions are all scoped to a specific bucket.
This isolation enables independent development workflows where you can:

- **Experiment freely** - Test new pricing models or usage tracking in
  development without affecting production data
- **Validate changes** - Promote your product catalog configuration through
  preview environments before going live
- **Maintain separation** - Keep development test data completely isolated from
  production customer usage

When you're satisfied with your configuration in one bucket, you can recreate
that same configuration in another bucket to promote changes through your
deployment pipeline.

## Authentication

All Monetization API requests require authentication using a Zuplo API key.

All examples in this documentation assume the following environment variables
are set in your terminal:

```bash
# Your Bucket ID (could be working-copy, preview, or production)
# (Found in Project Services > Bucket Details)
export BUCKET_ID=your-bucket-id
# Your Zuplo API Key (Found in Account Settings > Zuplo API Keys)
export ZAPI_KEY=zpka_YOUR_API_KEY
```

Include your API key in the `Authorization` header:

```shell
curl \
  https://dev.zuplo.com/v3/metering/$BUCKET_ID/meters \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $ZAPI_KEY"
```

## API Reference

For complete API operations, see the API Reference documentation:

- [Meters API](../../api/metering-meters)
- [Features API](../../api/metering-features)
- [Plans API](../../api/metering-plans)