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Getting Started

Get up and running with the Discuse API in minutes. This guide will walk you through authentication, making your first request, and understanding the response format.

Quick Start

1

Get Your API Key

Sign up for a free account to get your API key. The Basic tier includes 500 image scans and 1,000 sentiment analyses per month.

Get API Key Or try the demo first
2

Configure Authentication

Include your API key in the X-API-Key header with every request. 

X-API-Key: dsc_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
3

Make Your First Request

Send a POST request to the /api/v2/check endpoint with your content. 

curl -X POST https://api.discuse.com/api/v2/check \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "content": {
      "text": "Hello, this is a test message!"
    }
  }'
4

Handle the Response

The API returns a JSON response with moderation results. Check has_violations to determine if action is needed. 

{
  "has_violations": false,
  "message": "Content appears safe",
  "results": {
    "hits": false,
    "sentiment": {
      "hit": false,
      "toxic": 0.02,
      "profanity": 0.01,
      "threat": 0.00,
      "insult": 0.03
    }
  },
  "processing_time_ms": 45
}

API Key Security

Your API key grants access to your account and usage quota. Keep it secure by following these best practices:

  • Never expose your API key in client-side code or public repositories
  • Use environment variables to store your API key
  • Rotate your API key periodically for enhanced security
  • Use server-side proxies to keep your API key hidden from users

Rate Limits

Rate limits help ensure fair usage and protect the API from abuse. Limits vary by feature type.

PlanPriceImage ScansSentiment Analyses
BasicFree500/month1,000/month
Gold$4.99/mo2,000/month5,000/month
Platinum$9.99/mo5,000/month15,000/month
Ultimate$49.99/mo10,000/month30,000/month

When you exceed rate limits, the API returns a 429 Too Many Requests response. Paid plans (Gold, Platinum, Ultimate) support overage at published rates.

Error Handling

The API uses standard HTTP status codes to indicate success or failure.

Status CodeDescription
200 Success - Request processed successfully
400 Bad Request - Invalid request body or parameters
401 Unauthorized - Invalid or missing API key
429 Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded
500 Server Error - Internal server error

Next Steps

Now that you're set up, explore the specific features of the API:

Text Analysis

Analyze text for spam and toxicity

Image Analysis

Detect NSFW content in images