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

# Overview

> Learn how to get started with the Splunk Agent Observability REST API

Splunk Agent Observability provides a public REST API that you can use to interact with the Splunk Agent Observability platform. This guide will help you get started with the Splunk Agent Observability REST API.

## Get the Base API URL

The first thing you need to call the Splunk Agent Observability API is the base URL of your Splunk Agent Observability API instance.

If you're using an on-premises, standalone, or custom deployment, you have a custom Splunk Agent Observability URL that appears in your browser when you load the Splunk Agent Observability homepage. Replace `console` in the URL with `api` to get your base API URL.

### Verify the Base API URL

To verify the base URL of your Splunk Agent Observability API instance, you can send a `GET` request to the [`healthcheck` endpoint](/api-reference/health/healthcheck).

```bash theme={null}
curl -X GET <your-splunk-ao-api-url>/v2/healthcheck
```

The API version will be reported in the response:

```output theme={null}
➜  curl -X GET <your-splunk-ao-api-url>/v2/healthcheck
{"api_version":"1.0.0","message":"🔭 API","version":"1.844.0"}
```

## Authentication

For interacting with our public endpoints, you can use any of the following methods to authenticate your requests:

### API Key

To use your [API key](/references/faqs/find-keys#splunk-ao-api-key) to authenticate your requests, include the key in the HTTP headers for your requests.

```json theme={null}
{ "Splunk-AO-API-Key": "<my-api-key>" }
```

### HTTP Basic Auth

To use HTTP Basic Auth to authenticate your requests, include your username and password Base64 encoded in the HTTP headers for your requests.

```json theme={null}
{ "Authorization": "Basic <base64encode(<username>:<password>)>" }
```

### JWT Token

To use a JWT token to authenticate your requests, include the token in the HTTP headers for your requests.

```json theme={null}
{ "Authorization": "Bearer <my-jwt-token>" }
```

We recommend using this method for high-volume requests because it is more secure (expires after 24 hours) and scalable than using an API key.

To generate a JWT token, send a `GET` request to the [`get-token` endpoint](/api-reference/auth/get-token) using the API Key or HTTP Basic auth.