Quickstart

This guide gets you from zero to your first API call in under five minutes.

1. Get an API key

Sign up for a free-tier key with one request. No password needed — the key is returned once and emailed to you, so keep it safe.

curl -X POST "https://api.afrihex.com/v2/self/signup" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "you@example.com",
    "name": "Your App",
    "organization": "Your Company"
  }'

You'll receive a key in the response, or visit the developer dashboard to create additional keys.

2. Set the key as an environment variable

export AFRIHEX_API_KEY="your-api-key"

3. Make your first request

Every /v2/* endpoint authenticates with the X-API-Key header. Try encoding a coordinate into a hex code (the coordinates below are Kotoka International Airport, Accra):

cURL

curl "https://api.afrihex.com/v2/hexcode?lat=5.6037&lng=-0.1870&res=7" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $AFRIHEX_API_KEY"

Node.js

const res = await fetch(
  'https://api.afrihex.com/v2/hexcode?lat=5.6037&lng=-0.1870&res=7',
  { headers: { 'X-API-Key': process.env.AFRIHEX_API_KEY! } }
)
const json = await res.json()
console.log(json.data.code) // "AF-GH-7-0GXTQD5RFZZZZ"

Python

import os, requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.afrihex.com/v2/hexcode",
    params={"lat": 5.6037, "lng": -0.1870, "res": 7},
    headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["AFRIHEX_API_KEY"]},
)
print(r.json()["data"]["code"])  # "AF-GH-7-0GXTQD5RFZZZZ"

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "code": "AF-GH-7-0GXTQD5RFZZZZ",
    "h3_index": "877576970ffffff",
    "resolution": 7,
    "country": "Ghana",
    "country_code": "GH",
    "center": { "lat": 5.604078493411575, "lng": -0.19529195005881006 },
    "boundary": [
      { "lat": 5.609495946766828, "lng": -0.20575170258746575 },
      { "lat": 5.598573458939036, "lng": -0.20393981349281015 }
    ],
    "area_km2": 3.86
  },
  "meta": { "request_id": "…", "latency": "2.1ms" }
}

That's it — you've resolved a location to a stable, shareable identifier.

4. Do something useful

Here are three common first integrations, each with a link to its full guide:

• Resolve a GhanaPostGPS code like GA-142-7281 to coordinates — see Addresses & Geocoding.
• Reverse geocode coordinates back to a human address — see Addresses & Geocoding.
• Track a loan portfolio with consent + background pings and drift alerts — see Location Monitoring.

Using the TypeScript SDK

If you use Node.js, the official SDK (@afrihex/sdk) is coming soon — see the SDK guide for its full surface. Once published, you'd use it like this:

npm install @afrihex/sdk   # available soon

import { AfriHex } from '@afrihex/sdk'

const afrihex = new AfriHex({
  apiKey: process.env.AFRIHEX_API_KEY!,
})

const hex = await afrihex.hex.encode(5.6037, -0.1870, 7)
console.log(hex.code) // "AF-GH-7-0GXTQD5RFZZZZ"

See the SDK guide for the full API surface.

Next steps

• Read Authentication to understand keys, tiers, and headers.
• Check Rate Limits so you stay within your plan.
• Browse the API Reference grouped by use case.