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Creating a Task

This guide walks you through creating an API key and sending your first request using the FourA Dashboard.

Step 1: Open the Dashboard

Navigate to the Dashboard and sign in with your FourA account.

Step 2: Create an API Key

Go to the API Keys page and click Create Key.

Give the key a descriptive name (e.g., "production-scraper" or "dev-testing"). The confirmation dialog shows the plain key with a copy button.

If you miss it, click the eye icon on the key's row later to reveal it again. Legacy keys created before reveal shipped can't be brought back; regenerate them once to switch over. Full flow: Managing API Keys.

Your key looks like this: pk_live_a1b2c3d4e5f6...

Step 3: Choose an Endpoint

FourA has four endpoints for different scenarios:

Auto (POST /api/auto/)

The smart default. Pass a URL plus a validate rule and FourA picks the cheapest path that works: direct request, rotating proxy, or full browser. Best when you're targeting a new site and don't yet know what it needs.

Single (POST /api/single/)

Sends a fast HTTP request. Best for static HTML pages and API endpoints. Response time: typically under 2 seconds.

Browser (POST /api/browser/)

Runs a Chrome browser instance to render JavaScript. Best for SPAs, lazy-loaded content, and pages that require JS execution. Response time: 2 to 10 seconds.

Proxy (POST /api/proxy/)

Routes the request through rotating proxies with automatic retry. Best for sites with bot detection or geo-restricted content.

Step 4: Send Your First Request

Open a terminal and run:

curl -X POST https://eu.api.foura.ai/api/single/ \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method": "GET", "url": "https://example.com"}'

Step 5: Read the Response

{
  "status": 200,
  "headers": [
    {
      "result": { "version": "HTTP/2", "code": 200, "reason": "" },
      "content-type": "text/html; charset=UTF-8",
      "content-length": "1256"
    }
  ],
  "data": "<html>...</html>",
  "total_time": 0.45
}

The headers field is an array of objects, one per redirect hop. Each entry has a result with the status line plus every response header the target returned.

Key fields:

  • status: HTTP status code from the target site
  • data: the response body (HTML, JSON, or raw text)
  • total_time: request duration in seconds

Step 6: Try a Browser Request

If the target page uses JavaScript to render content, use the browser endpoint instead:

curl -X POST https://eu.api.foura.ai/api/browser/ \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com/products", "timeout_ms": 15000}'

The browser response uses body instead of data:

{
  "status": 200,
  "headers": {"content-type": "text/html"},
  "body": "<html>...</html>"
}

Common Issues

Problem Solution
Not sure which engine to use Start with the auto endpoint. It picks the right path and remembers what worked.
Empty content Switch from single to browser endpoint: the page likely needs JS rendering
Captcha in response Switch to the proxy endpoint for automatic IP rotation
Timeout Increase timeout_ms or verify the URL is correct
Lost your key Click the eye icon on the key's row in API Keys to reveal it, or regenerate if the key is legacy

Next Steps

Last updated: July 8, 2026
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