Make your first request

Use this guide after choosing an API product and creating a non-production application-scoped key. The goal is one observable request, not a production client.

Prerequisites

• a server-side development environment;
• a test key stored outside source control;
• a public Steam inventory you are permitted to test;
• the Inventory operation open for the canonical parameters and schema.

Request flow

1. Start from the Quickstart and set STEAMCALL_API_KEY in the process environment.
2. Send one request with an explicit total timeout.
3. Record the HTTP status and X-Request-ID before parsing the body.
4. Validate the documented success or error envelope.
5. Remove the test output if it contains inventory data you do not need to retain.

Verify the contract

Open the Inventory operation, compare required parameters, and test failure handling with synthetic input before adding concurrency.

Expected failures are part of the first-request exercise. Correct validation or authentication errors; do not automatically retry them. Preserve privacy and upstream failures as distinct application states, then follow Errors.

Before adding traffic

Add a bounded deadline, selective retry policy, rate-limit handling, and safe request telemetry. Continue with Build an inventory integration or the Production checklist.