This quickstart will walk you through sending your first Dropbox Sign API request. Further down, we will also walk you through sending your first eSignature request using our API.
This is mostly an interactive guide, meaning you will find embedded consoles along the way, which will allow you to send API requests without having to navigate away from the guide.
You will also find code examples, which can be copied as-is and used in your development environment.
The Dropbox Sign API powers eSignature functionality that can be built into your applications. You can enable electronic signatures for your users with non-embedded or embedded signature flows.
The endpoints are organized around specific classes. You can see the full range of classes and functionality by clicking the dropdown below:
Let’s send your first API request!
You’ll need the following:
API Account for Dropbox Sign.
API Key for your account.
There are two ways the documentation will help you send API requests:
That functionality is offered across all endpoints.
This approach is great for exploration, discovery, and testing different combinations of parameters without the need to set up your own coding environment.
Step 1. Grab your API Key from the API Settings page.
Step 2. Paste it into the Try it console below and click Send:
First API Request: This banner will update when you send an API request using the Try it console above.
About Try it Console: You can use the Try it console, whenever present across the developer documentation, for most endpoints. You can also resend requests using the same instance, there’s no need to refresh or navigate away from the documentation.
This approach is great for building out your integration. Especially if you’re using the official SDKs.
Step 1. Grab your API Key from the API Settings page.
Step 2. Copy the code from the cURL tab below for the Get Account endpoint:
Step 3. Combine your API key with the cURL example and send the command from your terminal.
About Code Examples: Every endpoint in our API Reference documentation contains code example for cURL along with all 6 officially supported SDKs.
The ability to create signature requests for your users to sign is a central concept of building with the Dropbox Sign API. All features, big and small, are connected by a shared need: allowing users to sign documents.
Users have two ways they can sign and complete signature requests:
You can fully test both signing flows by working through the sections below.
You’ll need the following:
API account for Dropbox Sign.
API Key for your account.
Email address for completing signature requests.
Client ID for your own API App in Dropbox Sign.
In non-embedded signing flows, you send the signature request via API and Dropbox Sign handles the rest. In this model, we notify the signer(s) via email, they follow a hyperlink, and we collect their eSignature on a Dropbox Sign-owned web page.
This section contains three main parts:
Follow the steps below using the Try it console.
email_address and name values with your own test data — make sure you have access to the email address entered.metadata property to the payload with a custom key-value pair.
Like this: "demo": "Hi from the demo"Send Signature Request: You’ll need to send a signature request using the Try it console above before moving on to the next section.
Want to try testing in your own environment? No problem, you can find code examples below to send cURL requests from your terminal or using one of our official SDKs:
Let’s check the status of the signature request by sending an API request to the Get Signature Request endpoint.
signature_request_id obtained in the previous step.Get Signature Request: You’ll need to send a GET signature request using the Try it console above before moving on.
To continue testing in your own environment find the code example for the language of your choice below:
In embedded signing flows, Dropbox Sign is providing the eSign technology via API, but you’re embedding the signing experience into your app or website. Your user signs and completes documents without ever leaving the surface you own.
In this model, all email notifications from Dropbox Sign are muted. You (the developer) are responsible for managing your user’s notifications directly by consuming webhooks from Dropbox Sign Events.
This section contains three main parts:
signature_idsign_urlFollow the steps below using the Try it console.
client_id value with your own API App’s Client ID.email_address and name values with your own test data.metadata property to the payload with a custom key-value pair.
Like this: "demo": "Hi from the demo"Create Embedded Signature Request: You’ll need to create an embedded signature request using the Try it console above before moving on to the next section.
Want to try testing in your own environment? No problem, you can find code examples below to send cURL requests from your terminal or using one of our official SDKs:
Let’s generate a Sign URL by sending an API request to the Get Embedded Sign URL endpoint.
signature_id obtained in the previous step.Sign URL: You’ll need to generate a Sign URL using the Try it console above before moving on to the next section.
To continue testing in your own environment find the code example for the language of your choice below:
Follow the steps below to load the document in our Embedded Testing Tool using the sign_url from the previous step.
sign_url in the Embedded URL field.Note: You may choose to complete these steps using your own plaform, just grab the sign_url to load the document.
We provide a client-side library that handles the authorization and display of the embedded request using an iFrame. You can take advantage of this library to make implementation easier.
To install, you can use a modern module bundler like npm and simply npm install hellosign-embedded. Alternativey, the client-side library can be downloaded manually, compiled from source, or imported from our CDN.
For more details on how to use it, take a look at the Client Side section in one of our embedded workflows walkthroughs.
Fantastic job! By now, you should have a pretty good idea of how to interact with the Dropbox Sign API and implement it in a way that will fit your business needs.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the content and happy coding!
Most of the resources we would recommend you familiarize yourself with are:
If you need help or get stuck, please reach out to API support: Submit a Ticket
We warmly welcome your feedback, feature requests, and bug reports!