# Getting Started

### Step 1: Create an Account

1. Go to [csvgetter.com](https://csvgetter.com) and click **Sign Up**.
2. Sign in with your Google account or email.
3. You'll land on your **Dashboard** — this is where you manage all your export endpoints.

> **Free trial:** You get 5 free endpoint hits to try everything out. No credit card required.

***

### Step 2: Connect a Data Source

Click **Create Endpoint** in the top navigation bar. You'll see the available data sources:

| Source         | Description                                                                       |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Airtable**   | Connect via OAuth. CSV Getter reads your bases, tables, and views.                |
| **Notion**     | Connect via Notion integration. CSV Getter reads your databases.                  |
| **CSV Upload** | Upload a CSV file directly. Useful for static datasets you want to serve via URL. |

Click on your data source and follow the authorization flow. Once connected, you'll be redirected to the endpoint configuration screen.

***

### Step 3: Configure Your Endpoint

#### For Airtable:

1. Select a **Base** from the dropdown.
2. Select a **Table**.
3. (Optional) Select a **View** to filter or sort the data.
4. Choose which **Fields** (columns) to include.
5. Choose an **Output Format** — CSV or JSON.
6. Give your endpoint a **Name**.
7. Click **Create**.

#### For Notion:

1. Select a **Database** from the list.
2. Choose which **Properties** (columns) to include.
3. Choose an output format.
4. Name your endpoint and click **Create**.

#### For CSV Upload:

1. Upload your CSV file.
2. Name your endpoint and click **Create**.

***

### Step 4: Get Your Endpoint URL

After creating your endpoint, you'll see it listed on the **Export Endpoints** page (`/urls`). Each endpoint has a unique URL like:

```
https://api.csvgetter.com/abc123def456
```

This URL is **live** — every time you access it, you get the latest data from your source.

***

### Step 5: Use Your Endpoint

#### In a Web Browser

Simply paste the URL into your browser's address bar. The data will download as a CSV file (or display as JSON, depending on your settings).

#### In Microsoft Excel

1. Open Excel and go to **Data** > **From Web**.
2. Paste your endpoint URL.
3. Click **OK** — your data loads into a spreadsheet.
4. To refresh the data later, click **Refresh All** in the Data tab.

#### In Google Sheets

Use the `IMPORTDATA` function in any cell:

```
=IMPORTDATA("https://api.csvgetter.com/abc123def456")
```

The data will populate automatically and can be refreshed by re-entering the formula.

#### In Code (JavaScript)

```javascript
const response = await fetch("https://api.csvgetter.com/abc123def456");
const data = await response.text();
console.log(data);
```

#### In Code (Python)

```python
import requests
import pandas as pd
from io import StringIO

response = requests.get("https://api.csvgetter.com/abc123def456")
df = pd.read_csv(StringIO(response.text))
print(df)
```

#### With cURL

```bash
curl https://api.csvgetter.com/abc123def456
```

***

### Step 6: Customize with URL Parameters

Your endpoint URL supports parameters that change the output on the fly — no need to edit your endpoint settings. Just append them to the URL:

```
https://api.csvgetter.com/abc123def456?type=json_records
```

Common parameters:

| Parameter            | Example                                       | What it does                       |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `type`               | `?type=json_records`                          | Change output format to JSON       |
| `sql`                | `?sql=SELECT * FROM csvgetter WHERE age > 25` | Filter data with SQL               |
| `filename_timestamp` | `?filename_timestamp=true`                    | Add timestamp to download filename |

For the full list, see URL Parameters.

Use the **URL Wizard** in the endpoint editor to interactively build and test these parameters.

***

### What's Next?

* **The Export URL** — Understand URL anatomy and chaining parameters.
* **The SQL Parameter** — Filter, sort, and aggregate your data with SQL queries.
* **The Type Parameter** — All 10+ output formats explained.
* **URL Parameters** — Full reference for every parameter.
* **Credits** — How the credit system works.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.csvgetter.com/getting-started.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.