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Getting Started

From sign-up to a working geocoding request in about 5 minutes.

PickPoint provides four APIs under a single key: Geocoding, Address Search, Routing, and Device Tracking. This guide walks through the basics - individual API guides go deeper.
1

Create your account

Start with a free account - no credit card. Your API key is created immediately with 2,500 requests/day on Free.

Create your free account →

An activation email is sent immediately. Follow the link to confirm your address - check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive within a few minutes.

2

Get your API key

Every request is authenticated with a single HTTP header:

X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY

Find your key in the API Key section of your dashboard. You can also pass the key as a query parameter for quick testing:

?key=YOUR_KEY
Keep your key secure. Don't embed it in client-side JavaScript shipped to end users - it will be visible in the browser. Use environment variables on the server side, or implement a backend layer for browser-based apps.

Advanced plans support multiple keys - for example, separate keys for development and production, or individual keys per customer.

3

Make your first geocoding request

Forward geocoding converts an address or place name to coordinates. Replace YOUR_KEY with your actual key:

curl "https://api.pickpoint.io/v2/geocode/forward?q=Eiffel+Tower" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY"

You'll get a GeoJSON FeatureCollection response:

{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [2.2944813, 48.8583701]
      },
      "properties": {
        "display_name": "Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, Paris, France",
        "place_id": "node/5013364969",
        "address": {
          "name": "Eiffel Tower",
          "road": "Champ de Mars",
          "city": "Paris",
          "country": "France",
          "country_code": "fr"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Key fields: geometry.coordinates is [longitude, latitude] (GeoJSON order), and properties.address gives structured components ready to store or display.

4

Try the other APIs

The same key works for all four APIs:

Reverse Geocoding - coordinates to address
curl "https://api.pickpoint.io/v2/geocode/reverse?lat=48.858&lon=2.294" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY"
Address Search - autocomplete as user types
curl "https://api.pickpoint.io/v2/address/search?q=Eiff" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY"
Routing - turn-by-turn route between two points
curl -X POST "https://api.pickpoint.io/v2/route" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"locations":[{"lat":48.858,"lon":2.294},{"lat":48.873,"lon":2.295}],"costing":"auto"}'
All endpoints return standard GeoJSON or JSON - no proprietary SDK formats. Results can be stored indefinitely without re-geocoding fees.
5

Explore in Geo Lab

Geo Lab is an interactive playground inside your dashboard. Build any request visually - geocoding, routing, address search, or device tracking - and see the results plotted on a live map alongside the raw JSON and a copy-ready code snippet.

Useful for exploring parameters before writing integration code: try the routing playground ↗ to see vehicle profiles, multi-stop optimization, and time windows in action.

6

Integrate into your app

Pick the path that matches where your code runs. The Integration guide covers all three patterns in detail.

Server-side (recommended)

Backend jobs, microservices, and CLI tools call PickPoint directly via the official SDK — key in env, no REST wrapper needed:

import { PickPoint } from '@pickpoint/sdk';

const pp = new PickPoint({ apiKey: process.env.PICKPOINT_KEY });
const results = await pp.forward({ q: 'Eiffel Tower', limit: 1 });
console.log(results[0].lat, results[0].lon); // 48.8583701, 2.2944813

Browser or mobile UI

When end users need geocoding or routing in a web or mobile app, your backend calls PickPoint — never ship the API key to clients. See Server Integration examples or the web map tutorials.

Live GPS tracking

Devices publish location directly with per-device credentials via the tracking SDK. Dashboards subscribe through your backend. See the Device Tracking guide.

How the APIs fit together

Each API is independent - you can use just geocoding, or just routing - but they're designed to compose. A typical delivery application uses all four: geocoding normalizes customer addresses when they're entered; routing builds the optimal multi-stop delivery order; address search powers the input fields in your UI; device tracking shows the courier's live position to dispatcher and customer alike.

Things consistent across every API

  • One key. The same X-Api-Key header authenticates all four APIs. No per-API keys, no per-feature billing tiers.
  • Plain JSON by default. Geocoding returns JSON with named lat and lon string fields. Add format=geojson for a GeoJSON FeatureCollection.
  • OpenStreetMap data. Geocoding and routing run on OSM, updated continuously. Global coverage, no licensing restrictions on storing results.
  • In browser and mobile apps, route geocoding and routing through your backend — a leaked key can drain your quota within minutes. See Integration patterns.

GEO LAB

GEO LAB is an interactive playground inside your dashboard. Build any request visually, execute it, see results on a live map, and copy the generated snippet in cURL, JavaScript, Ruby, or Python. Use it to explore parameters before writing integration code.

Integration guideGeocoding guideRouting guideDevice TrackingAPI Reference ↗