> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://developer.vitablehealth.com/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://developer.vitablehealth.com/_mcp/server.

# Quickstart

> Make your first Vitable API call and embed the Employee Dashboard in under 5 minutes.

This quickstart confirms that your backend can reach Vitable. The integration guides that follow cover employer onboarding, employee enrollment, and ongoing administration.

## Before You Begin

* Request an API key from the [Vitable team](mailto:dev@vitablehealth.com).
* Store it in a server-side environment variable named `VITABLE_API_KEY`.
* Review [Authentication](/getting-started/authentication) before using the key.

## 1. List Employers

Call the employers endpoint to verify your credentials and base URL:

```bash
curl https://api.vitablehealth.com/v1/employers \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $VITABLE_API_KEY" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json"
```

```python
import os
import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.vitablehealth.com/v1/employers",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['VITABLE_API_KEY']}"},
)
response.raise_for_status()

print(response.json())
```

```javascript
const response = await fetch("https://api.vitablehealth.com/v1/employers", {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.VITABLE_API_KEY}` },
})

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Vitable request failed: ${response.status}`)
}

console.log(await response.json())
```

A `200 OK` response confirms that the API key and base URL are valid. An empty list is valid when your organization has not onboarded an employer yet.

## 2. Choose Your Next Step

| Goal                                               | Continue with                                                                |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Onboard your first employer and submit its census  | [Employer Onboarding](/embedded_benefits/guides/employer-onboarding)         |
| Add enrollment after employers and employees exist | [Employee Enrollment](/embedded_benefits/guides/employee-enrollment)         |
| Maintain rosters and process payroll changes       | [Benefits Administration](/embedded_benefits/guides/benefits-administration) |
| Embed a ready-made employee or employer interface  | [Set Up Vitable Drops](/drops/get-started)                                   |
| Inspect endpoint schemas and examples              | [API Reference](/api)                                                        |

> **Tip**
>
> Start with Employer Onboarding for a new integration. The guides are ordered to match the production lifecycle.