A file export suits one-off work, but if your CRM or ERP should fill itself with company data, you want an API. Here is what that looks like in practice.
API or file: how to choose
- A file (CSV, JSON, XML) – a one-time list for a campaign or analysis.
- An API – when data must appear automatically: for example, entering a company code on a new order fills in the name, address and director.
Authorization
Every request is authorized with an API key sent in the Authorization header. Keep the key on your server, never in browser code, and do not share it.
A simple request
For example, to see how much of your key's quota you have used, send a GET request:
curl --request GET 'https://1db.lt/api/private/api-key-stats' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'The response comes back as JSON, so you can read it directly in any language. The full list of endpoints, including filtering with pagination and fetching a record by company code, is in the API documentation.
What to plan for
- The request limit. Plans differ in requests per month – cache results so you do not repeat the same calls.
- Error handling. Network errors happen; retry with a delay and log failures.
- Empty fields. Not every company has contacts – your code must handle empty values gracefully.
- A unique key. Use the company code as the primary key to avoid duplicates.
How to start
- Pick a plan and buy an API key.
- Try requests with cURL or your own language.
- Add caching and error handling.
- Connect it to your CRM or ERP.
Not sure which plan fits? Start with the smallest – you can always raise the request limit later.