> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tryvinci.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> A guided walkthrough to build your first Vinci workflow end-to-end.

This tutorial expands on the [Quickstart](/quickstart) by adding helpful context, checks, and best practices.

## 1) Create an API key and add credits

* Sign up at [https://app.tryvinci.com](https://app.tryvinci.com)
* Create an API key from [https://app.tryvinci.com/dashboard/api](https://app.tryvinci.com/dashboard/api)
* Add credits (video generation costs \$0.05 per second)

```http title="Authorization header" theme={"system"}
Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key-here
```

Warning
Never store API keys in client-side code. Use environment variables or a secret manager.

## 2) Make your first generation request (Text-to-Video)

<CodeGroup>
  ```curl cURL theme={"system"}
  curl -X POST "https://tryvinci.com/api/v1/generate/text-to-video" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key-here" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "prompt": "A serene sunset over a calm lake",
      "duration_seconds": 5,
      "aspect_ratio": "16:9"
    }'
  ```

  ```python generate.py theme={"system"}
  import requests

  API_KEY = "sk-your-api-key-here"
  url = "https://tryvinci.com/api/v1/generate/text-to-video"
  headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}
  data = {
    "prompt": "A serene sunset over a calm lake",
    "duration_seconds": 5,
    "aspect_ratio": "16:9"
  }

  r = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
  r.raise_for_status()
  job = r.json()
  print(job)
  ```

  ```javascript generate.js theme={"system"}
  const API_KEY = "sk-your-api-key-here";
  const r = await fetch("https://tryvinci.com/api/v1/generate/text-to-video", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Authorization": `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      prompt: "A serene sunset over a calm lake",
      duration_seconds: 5,
      aspect_ratio: "16:9",
    }),
  });
  if (!r.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}`);
  const job = await r.json();
  console.log(job);
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## 3) Poll the status endpoint

<CodeGroup>
  ```curl cURL theme={"system"}
  curl -X GET "https://tryvinci.com/api/v1/status/your-request-id" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key-here"
  ```

  ```python poll.py theme={"system"}
  import time, requests

  API_KEY = "sk-your-api-key-here"
  request_id = "your-request-id"
  status_url = f"https://tryvinci.com/api/v1/status/{request_id}"
  headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

  while True:
    r = requests.get(status_url, headers=headers)
    r.raise_for_status()
    s = r.json()

    if s["status"] == "completed":
      print("Video:", s["video_url"])
      break
    if s["status"] == "failed":
      print("Generation failed")
      break

    print("Status:", s["status"])
    time.sleep(5)
  ```

  ```javascript poll.js theme={"system"}
  const API_KEY = "sk-your-api-key-here";
  const requestId = "your-request-id";

  async function poll() {
    const r = await fetch(`https://tryvinci.com/api/v1/status/${requestId}`, {
      headers: { "Authorization": `Bearer ${API_KEY}` },
    });
    if (!r.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}`);
    const s = await r.json();

    if (s.status === "completed") {
      console.log("Video:", s.video_url);
      return;
    }
    if (s.status === "failed") {
      console.log("Generation failed");
      return;
    }
    console.log("Status:", s.status);
    setTimeout(poll, 5000);
  }
  poll();
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## 4) Common issues and tips

* 401 Unauthorized → Check Authorization header
* 402 Insufficient balance → Add credits
* 429 Rate limit → Backoff and retry
* Keep prompts clear and concise
* Use shorter durations for tests

<Info>
  For comprehensive guidance on writing effective prompts, see the [Prompting Guides](/docs/guides/prompting/index). These guides cover fundamental principles, text-to-image techniques, and image-to-image workflows that will help you get better results from all Vinci services.
</Info>

## Next Steps

* **For better prompting**: Explore the [Prompting Guides](/docs/guides/prompting/index) to master prompt engineering
* **Continue with Essentials**: Learn about [Authentication and API Keys](/essentials/authentication)
* **API Reference**: See [Video Generation](/docs/api-reference/video-generation) for technical details