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# Quick Start

## 1. Create a Dropbox app

Head to the [Dropbox App Console](https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps) and click **Create app**.

1. Choose **Scoped access** as the API type.
2. Select the access type your app needs:
   * **App folder**: Access limited to a single folder in the user's Dropbox.
   * **Full Dropbox**: Access to all files and folders in the user's Dropbox.
3. Name your app and click **Create app**.

## 2. Configure permissions

On the **Permissions** tab of your app's settings, enable the scopes your app needs:

| Scope                 | Description                              |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `files.metadata.read` | View information about files and folders |
| `files.content.read`  | Download file content                    |
| `files.content.write` | Upload and modify files                  |
| `sharing.read`        | View sharing settings                    |
| `sharing.write`       | Manage sharing settings                  |

Click **Submit** to save your permission changes.

## 3. Get an access token

For testing, generate a short-lived access token from the **Settings** tab of your app in the App Console. For production apps, implement the [OAuth 2.0 flow](/dropbox-api/docs/get-started/authorization).

## 4. Make your first API call

Begin listing the contents of the root folder:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/list_folder \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"path": ""}'
```

A successful response contains `entries`:

```json
{
  "entries": [
    {
      ".tag": "folder",
      "name": "Photos",
      "path_lower": "/photos",
      "path_display": "/Photos",
      "id": "id:abc123"
    },
    {
      ".tag": "file",
      "name": "document.pdf",
      "path_lower": "/document.pdf",
      "path_display": "/document.pdf",
      "id": "id:def456",
      "size": 1048576
    }
  ],
  "cursor": "ZtkX9_EHj3x7PMkVuFIhwKYXEpwpLMyVRhQ...",
  "has_more": false
}
```

## 5. Upload a file

```bash
curl -X POST https://content.dropboxapi.com/2/files/upload \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  --header "Dropbox-API-Arg: {\"path\": \"/hello.txt\", \"mode\": \"add\"}" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
  --data-binary "hello world"
```

A successful response contains the uploaded file's metadata:

```json
{
  "client_modified": "2026-08-26T18:29:11Z",
  "content_hash": "bc62d4b80d9e36da29c16c5d4d9f11731f36052c72401a76c23c0fb5a9b74423",
  "id": "id:25N5ksooX-sAAAAAAARFgw",
  "is_downloadable": true,
  "name": "hello.txt",
  "path_display": "/hello.txt",
  "path_lower": "/hello.txt",
  "property_groups": [],
  "rev": "659f765546658021eccc7",
  "server_modified": "2026-08-26T18:29:12Z",
  "size": 11
}
```

## Next steps

* Explore the [API Reference](/dropbox-api/api-reference) for the full list of endpoints.
* Learn about [Authorization](/dropbox-api/docs/get-started/authorization) for production OAuth flows.
* Read about [File Access](/dropbox-api/docs/file-access) for advanced file operations.