Full Contact Getting Started: API Key & First Request (2026)

Getting started overview

Getting started with the Full Contact API involves a sequence of steps designed to enable developers to quickly integrate data enrichment capabilities into their applications. This process typically includes account creation, API key acquisition, and sending an initial authenticated request to verify connectivity and functionality. Full Contact specializes in identity resolution and data enrichment, providing services such as person and company enrichment data as outlined in their documentation. The API is designed for developers seeking to unify customer data, enhance personalization efforts, support fraud detection, and refine marketing segmentation.

The primary method for authenticating requests to the Full Contact API is through a unique API key, which must be included with every API call. This guide focuses on the essential steps required to make a successful first API call, ensuring developers can quickly move from setup to data integration.

Here is a quick-reference table summarizing the initial steps:

Create an account and get keys

To access the Full Contact API, you must first create an account. Full Contact offers a free trial, which is the recommended starting point for new users to explore the API's capabilities via their pricing page. During the signup process, you will provide necessary contact and company information. Once your account is established, you will gain access to the Full Contact dashboard, where your API key resides.

1. Sign Up for a Free Trial: Navigate to the Full Contact pricing page and select the option to start a free trial. Follow the prompts to complete the registration process. This typically involves providing an email address, setting a password, and agreeing to terms of service.
2. Access Your Developer Dashboard: After successful registration, log in to your Full Contact account. You should be directed to a dashboard or a dedicated developer portal.
3. Locate Your API Key: Within the dashboard, look for a section labeled 'API Keys', 'Developer Settings', or similar. Your unique API key will be displayed there. This key is a sensitive credential and should be treated like a password. Do not hardcode it directly into client-side code or publicly expose it.

The API key is a long string of alphanumeric characters. It authenticates your requests and links them to your account usage. For security best practices, consider using environment variables or a secure configuration management system to store and retrieve your API key in production environments, as recommended by general API security guidelines from Google Cloud.

Your first request

With your API key in hand, you can now make your first request to the Full Contact API. This example demonstrates a basic 'Person Enrichment' request, which is a core feature of Full Contact, allowing you to retrieve publicly available information about an individual based on an email address.

The Full Contact API is a RESTful API, meaning you interact with it using standard HTTP methods like GET and POST. For this example, we will use a POST request to the /v3/person.enrich endpoint.

API Endpoint

POST https://api.fullcontact.com/v3/person.enrich

Request Headers

You must include your API key in the Authorization header. The Content-Type header should be set to application/json.

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

Request Body

The request body will contain the email address you wish to enrich, formatted as JSON.

{
  "email": "[email protected]"
}

Example using cURL

cURL is a command-line tool and library for transferring data with URLs, commonly used for testing API endpoints. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

curl -X POST \
  'https://api.fullcontact.com/v3/person.enrich' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "email": "[email protected]"
  }'

Expected Successful Response

A successful response will typically have an HTTP status code of 200 OK and a JSON body containing the enriched person data. The exact structure can be complex, but it will include fields like fullName, demographics, socialProfiles, and other relevant information as detailed in the Person Enrichment API reference.

{
  "requestId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-1234-567890abcdef",
  "status": 200,
  "traits": {
    "fullName": "Bruce Wayne",
    "gender": "Male",
    "ageRange": "45-54",
    "maritalStatus": "Single"
  },
  "demographics": {
    "gender": "Male",
    "ageRange": "45-54"
  },
  "socialProfiles": [
    {
      "type": "Twitter",
      "url": "https://twitter.com/brucewayne",
      "username": "brucewayne"
    }
    // ... more social profiles and data
  ]
}

This response confirms that your API key is valid and that you can successfully interact with the Full Contact API to enrich person data.

Common next steps

After successfully making your first API call, consider these common next steps to further integrate Full Contact into your applications:

1. Explore Additional Endpoints: Review the Full Contact API reference for other available endpoints, such as Company Enrichment, Audience Insights, and Identity Resolution. Each endpoint serves different data enrichment needs.
2. Integrate with Your Application: Incorporate the API calls into your application's backend logic. This might involve writing code in your preferred programming language (e.g., Python, Node.js, Java) to handle requests, parse responses, and integrate the enriched data into your user profiles, CRM, or marketing automation platforms.
3. Error Handling: Implement robust error handling in your code. The API may return various HTTP status codes (e.g., 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 404 Not Found, 429 Too Many Requests) and error messages. Your application should be designed to gracefully handle these situations, potentially with retry logic for transient errors.
4. Rate Limiting Management: Full Contact enforces rate limits to ensure fair usage and system stability. Monitor your API usage and implement strategies to manage rate limits, such as client-side caching, queueing requests, or using exponential backoff for retries. Details on rate limits are typically found in the Full Contact developer documentation.
5. Data Storage and Compliance: Plan how you will store and use the enriched data. Ensure your practices comply with relevant data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA, for which Full Contact provides compliance information on their homepage.
6. Webhooks for Asynchronous Processing: For certain use cases, especially those involving bulk processing or data that takes longer to enrich, explore Full Contact's webhook capabilities. Webhooks allow Full Contact to notify your application when data enrichment is complete, rather than requiring you to poll the API.

Troubleshooting the first call

If your first API call does not return a successful 200 OK response, consider the following common issues and troubleshooting steps:

• Invalid API Key (401 Unauthorized):
  • Check for typos: Ensure your API key is copied exactly as it appears in your Full Contact dashboard.
  • Bearer token format: Verify that the Authorization header is correctly formatted as Bearer YOUR_API_KEY, with a space between 'Bearer' and your key.
  • Account status: Confirm your Full Contact account is active and your API key has not expired or been revoked.
• Incorrect Endpoint or Method (404 Not Found, 405 Method Not Allowed):
  • Endpoint URL: Double-check the API endpoint URL (e.g., https://api.fullcontact.com/v3/person.enrich) for any mistakes.
  • HTTP Method: Ensure you are using the correct HTTP method (e.g., POST for person enrichment).
• Malformed Request Body (400 Bad Request):
  • JSON format: Verify that your request body is valid JSON. Use an online JSON validator if unsure.
  • Required parameters: Ensure all mandatory parameters (e.g., email for person enrichment) are present and correctly formatted in the request body.
  • Content-Type header: Confirm the Content-Type header is set to application/json.
• Rate Limiting (429 Too Many Requests):
  • If you receive a 429 error, you have exceeded your account's rate limit. Wait for the specified duration (often indicated in Retry-After headers) before making further requests. For initial testing, this is less common unless multiple rapid calls are made.
• Network Issues:
  • Check your internet connection.
  • Ensure no firewalls or proxies are blocking your outbound requests to api.fullcontact.com.
• Consult Documentation: Refer to the Full Contact developer documentation for specific error codes and troubleshooting guides, which provide detailed explanations for different API responses.