# Traditional API Quick Start Template
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/business-payment-controls/documentation/shared-content/external-api-template/index.md

## Accessing the API {#accessing-the-api}

1. Navigate to [Mastercard Developers](https://developer.mastercard.com/) and click sign up and create an account.
2. Activate your account by opening the link sent to your email address, and log in.

Alert: Before proceeding, you must have a Registration Token to enable access to the Business Payment Controls API. If you are a new customer or do not have a Registration Token, please [contact us](https://developer.mastercard.com/business-payment-controls/documentation/support/index.md#get-help) to get started.

## Generate Your Credentials {#generate-your-credentials}

To generate your Sandbox and Production credentials you must create a new Mastercard Developers project. Generating Sandbox credentials will give you access to our Sandbox, which has rich, mocked data, that will help you understand the API.

1. Create a project on your [My Projects](https://developer.mastercard.com/dashboard) page.
2. Name your project.   
3. Indicate whether you are creating a project on behalf of a client. Note: Check "yes" if you are creating an API integration project for a customer. For example, you could be an integrator, a processor, or a service provider and the customer could be a merchant, issuer, or acquirer.
4. Provide the client company name and client company address (if applicable).   
5. Select **Business Payment Controls** for API service.   
6. Provide the commercial countries for the project. This field represents where your client is doing business. Note: If you are creating a project on-behalf of a client, the Commercial countries represent where your client is doing business. ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/enter-project-image-1.png)
7. Enter the **Registration Token** that has been provided to you by a Mastercard representative. ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/gyc-step-7.png)
8. Click **Skip This Step** . ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/gyc-step-8.png)
9. Under **Credentials** , click **Sandbox** . ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/step-9.png)
10. In the **OAuth Keys** section, click **Add key** . ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/gyc-step-10.png)
11. Proceed to **Generate a new private key** . ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/gyc-step-11.png)
12. Create a key alias and keystore password for your project credentials to access the service in this project. Once complete, click **Create key** . ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/gyc-step-12.png)
13. Download, and keep safe, your PKCS#12 (.p12) keystore file. ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/gyc-step-13.png)
14. Once you complete this flow you will land on the Project page. From the Project page, take note of your consumer key and begin testing.

Note: If you intend to use encryption when connecting to Business Payment Controls, you will additionally need to set-up encryption keys. For more information, please see [Securing Sensitive Data Using Payload Encryption](https://developer.mastercard.com/platform/documentation/security-and-authentication/securing-sensitive-data-using-payload-encryption/).

## Integrate {#integrate}

### Generate Your Own API Client {#generate-your-own-api-client}

1. Navigate to the API documentation page.
2. Download the API specification (OpenAPI or Swagger).
3. Generate and configure an API client for this API.
4. Configure your client using our [client libraries](https://developer.mastercard.com/platform/documentation/security-and-authentication/securing-sensitive-data-using-payload-encryption/#client-libraries).

For a detailed step-by-step guide, see [Generating and Configuring a Mastercard API Client](https://developer.mastercard.com/platform/documentation/security-and-authentication/generating-and-configuring-a-mastercard-api-client/).

## Go-Live {#go-live}

After you have tested your implementation in our Sandbox environments, it is time to **Move to Production**.

### Steps to Moving to Production {#steps-to-moving-to-production}

1. Within your project, select **Request Production Access** . ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/request-prod-image-4-1.png)
2. Enter your Production key alias and keystore password for Project credentials and Additional Credentials. ![Project](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/business-payment-controls/uploads/enter-your-image-5-1.png)
3. Save your key alias and keystore password for future reference.
4. Confirm and download your Production keys. Note: Production Credentials are generated instantaneously, but they still need to be approved for Production environment access before you can go live. Once your Production access request has been reviewed, you will receive a notification confirming your access has been approved or denied.