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

# Quickstart

> Make your first request for commodity prices with an API key.

This walkthrough takes you from signing up to your first cheddar prices. Every step after the first is one request.

**1. Copy your API key**

Sign up in the Orbbit console. Your account comes with a key named **Default**, which can call every endpoint, plus \$5 of starting balance to spend.

Open **API Keys**, find **Default**, click **Reveal Secret**, and copy the key. It starts with `orbbit_data_`. See [Authentication](https://data-docs.orbbit.co/authentication.md) for how keys, their permissions, and their spend limits work.

**2. Find a price series**

List the daily cheddar series in Chicago with List Commodities, which is free. `category` and `commodity` pick what is priced, and the other filters narrow by attribute, market and how often the price is published.

```bash theme={null}
curl --globoff --request GET \
  --url 'https://data-api.orbbit.co/v1/commodities?category=dairy&commodity=cheese&attributes[cheese_style]=cheddar&region=us_chicago&frequency=daily&limit=1' \
  --header 'authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
```

Each result is one price series. Its `metric_name` is its readable ID, and every part of the name is also its own field.

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "data_commodity_metric_01m5jbewxffcs9j3neja9k8s4a",
      "metric_name": "cheese_block_cheddar_40_lb_us_chicago_wholesale_daily_close_price_usd_per_lb",
      "product": {
        "category": "dairy",
        "commodity": "cheese",
        "attributes": { "size": "40 lb", "cheese_form": "block", "cheese_style": "cheddar" }
      },
      "region": "us_chicago",
      "market_level": "wholesale",
      "freight": "not_stated",
      "frequency": "daily",
      "price_type": "close",
      "unit": "usd_per_lb",
      "measure": "close_price",
      "source": "usda-mars",
      "first_observed_on": "2021-02-24",
      "last_observed_on": "2026-10-20"
    }
  ],
  "next_cursor": "cheese_block_cheddar_40_lb_us_chicago_wholesale_daily_close_price_usd_per_lb"
}
```

**3. Pull the values**

Pass the `metric_name` to Get Commodity Metric Values with a date range. Both dates are included. Leave the dates out to get the series' last year instead.

```bash theme={null}
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://data-api.orbbit.co/v1/commodities/metric-values?metric_names=cheese_block_cheddar_40_lb_us_chicago_wholesale_daily_close_price_usd_per_lb&start_date=2026-10-16&end_date=2026-10-20' \
  --header 'authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "data_commodity_metric_01m5jbewxffcs9j3neja9k8s4a",
      "metric_name": "cheese_block_cheddar_40_lb_us_chicago_wholesale_daily_close_price_usd_per_lb",
      "unit": "usd_per_lb",
      "start_date": "2026-10-16",
      "end_date": "2026-10-20",
      "values": [
        { "date": "2026-10-16", "value": 1.6825 },
        { "date": "2026-10-19", "value": 1.73 },
        { "date": "2026-10-20", "value": 1.8 }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

Response trimmed: each series also repeats the fields from the list. Each value is one trading day, in date order. `start_date` and `end_date` show the dates that were used. Listing series was free and this call cost 1¢. See [Pricing & Billing](https://data-docs.orbbit.co/pricing.md).

## What to do next

* Compare several series at once: pass up to 100 metric names, comma-separated, to [Get Commodity Metric Values](https://data-docs.orbbit.co/api-reference/commodities/get-commodity-metric-values.md).
* Understand the default date range: see [Commodities](https://data-docs.orbbit.co/market-data/commodities.md#when-you-leave-out-the-dates).
* Look up a packaged food: see [Search Branded Foods](https://data-docs.orbbit.co/api-reference/branded-food/search-branded-foods.md).
* Handle errors: see [Errors](https://data-docs.orbbit.co/errors.md) for every error your code should expect.
* Let your AI assistant do it: see [Use With Claude](https://data-docs.orbbit.co/for-agents/use-with-claude.md).


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