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Quick Start using API

In this tutorial, we will show you step-by-step how to send documents to a DocumentPro Workflow using our REST API.

Prerequisites​

  1. You need a DocumentPro account. If you haven't signed up yet, create an account here.
  2. Basic knowledge of making HTTP requests. We'll show examples in cURL, Python, and JavaScript.
  3. A document you want to send to a Workflow (we'll use an invoice as an example).

Step 1: Get Your API Key​

An API key is created for your account automatically the first time you log in — you don't need to create a Workflow first to get one. Find it in your account settings in the DocumentPro app, or generate a new one from any Workflow's Import tab. This key works across all Workflows on your account.

Important: Keep your API key secure and don't share it publicly.

Step 2: Create a Workflow​

Next, create a Workflow so you have a template_id to parse documents against.

  1. Log in to your DocumentPro account.
  2. Navigate to https://app.documentpro.ai/new-workflow.
  3. Set your Workflow name.
  4. In the Document Parsing section, set the document type.
  5. Click Configure Parser and add the fields you want to extract from your document. Save your configuration.
  6. Click Create Workflow. You'll be redirected to your new Workflow — note its template_id in the Workflow tab.

Template ID Location

Step 3: Upload a Document​

First, we'll upload a document to DocumentPro using the API.

Using cURL​

curl --location 'https://api.documentpro.ai/v1/documents' \
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--form 'file=@"/path/to/your/invoice.pdf"'

Using Python​

import requests

url = "https://api.documentpro.ai/v1/documents"
files = [
  ('file', ('invoice.pdf', open('/path/to/your/invoice.pdf', 'rb'), 'application/pdf'))
]
headers = {
  'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, files=files)
print(response.text)

Using JavaScript​

const fs = require('fs');

const form = new FormData();
form.append('file', new Blob([fs.readFileSync('/path/to/your/invoice.pdf')]), 'invoice.pdf');

const response = await fetch('https://api.documentpro.ai/v1/documents', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' },
  body: form
});
const result = await response.json();
console.log(result);

Replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your actual API key, and update the file path to point to your document.

This API call will return a response containing the document_id. Save this ID as you'll need it for the next step.

Step 4: Send your Document to a Workflow​

Now that we've uploaded a document, we can send it to the Workflow you created in Step 2. Use the document_id from Step 3 and the template_id from Step 2.

Using cURL​

curl --location 'https://api.documentpro.ai/v1/documents/YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID_HERE/run_parser?template_id=YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID_HERE&use_ocr=true&query_model=gpt-4o' \
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--header 'Accept: application/json'

Using Python​

import requests

document_id = "YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID_HERE"
template_id = "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID_HERE"

url = f"https://api.documentpro.ai/v1/documents/{document_id}/run_parser"

headers = {
  'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE',
  'Accept': 'application/json'
}

params = {
    'template_id': template_id,
    'use_ocr': True, # Optional, defaults to Workflow setting
    'query_model': 'gpt-4o', # Optional, defaults to Workflow setting
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
print(response.text)

Using JavaScript​

const documentId = 'YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID_HERE';
const templateId = 'YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID_HERE';

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  template_id: templateId,
  use_ocr: 'true',
  query_model: 'gpt-4o'
});

const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.documentpro.ai/v1/documents/${documentId}/run_parser?${params}`,
  { headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE', 'Accept': 'application/json' } }
);
const result = await response.json();
console.log(result);

This API call will return a request_id. Save this ID for the final step. Extraction is asynchronous, so this call returns immediately with request_status: "pending" — the document isn't parsed yet.

Step 5: Retrieve the Results​

Finally, poll for the parsed results using the request_id from the previous step. See Rate Limits & Polling for recommended polling intervals.

Using cURL​

curl --location 'https://api.documentpro.ai/files?request_id=YOUR_REQUEST_ID_HERE' \
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--header 'Accept: application/json'

Using Python​

import requests

request_id = "YOUR_REQUEST_ID_HERE"

url = "https://api.documentpro.ai/files"

headers = {
  'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE',
  'Accept': 'application/json'
}

params = {
  'request_id': request_id
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
print(response.text)

Using JavaScript​

const requestId = 'YOUR_REQUEST_ID_HERE';

const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.documentpro.ai/files?request_id=${requestId}`,
  { headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE', 'Accept': 'application/json' } }
);
const result = await response.json();
console.log(result);

This API call will return the parsed data from your document once request_status is "completed".

Conclusion​

Congratulations! You've successfully used the DocumentPro API to create a Workflow, upload a document, run a parser on it, and retrieve the results. Here's a quick recap of what we did:

  1. Got the API key that was auto-created for your account.
  2. Created a Workflow on DocumentPro.
  3. Uploaded a document using the /v1/documents endpoint.
  4. Sent the document to the Workflow using the /v1/documents/{document_id}/run_parser endpoint.
  5. Retrieved the parsed results using the /files endpoint.

What's Next?​