I have been given the task of integrating one of my company’s applications with HubSpot. I’ve done similar tasks before with systems such as Avochato.
I’m new to HubSpot and some of the terminology confuses me. What I’m expecting is to obtain an API key and be able to make API calls such as add account, modify account, etc. Instead it keeps asking me to “Create app”. I don’t understand what is meant by “app” in this context. I am not trying to create some kind of HubSpot application for distribution.
The instructions keep pointing me to “Create a private app” but when I try to do this, it says “Private apps aren’t available on developer accounts”. This doesn’t make a lot of sense. How else is a developer going to develop anything?
Hi @FLaRosa 
Welcome to the HubSpot community 
That’s right, private apps aren’t available within HubSpot Developer Accounts. However, they are available in HubSpot “Test Accounts” managed within your Developer Account. In order to start testing HubSpot’s APIs, I recommend creating a “Test Account” (see “Test accounts” in your Developer Account menu nav). Once you’ve created your “Test Account”, navigate to it and go to Settings > Integrations > Private Apps. You should then be able to create your Private App as per HubSpot’s documentation.
I hope that proves helpful. Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions.
Thanks, I was able to create a “Private app” this way.
I’m still a little confused though. I now have: an Account ID, and API Key, a Private App Token, a Client Secret, and an application ID (which I think is the random name they assigned to it)? Which of these things do I actually need to make API calls?
Hi @FLaRosa
No problem, happy to help.
If you’d like to authenticate via the “Private App” authentication method, you’ll need to use your Private App’s Access Token. This access token will allow you to authenticate your HubSpot API requests, with respect to the “Scopes” you’ve assigned in your Private App.
If you haven’t already, I recommend you read this “Authentication methods on HubSpot” article. I hope this proves helpful. Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions.
Where can I find the actual API reference? I keep bouncing around between pages with descriptions or overviews when what I really need is a straightforward listing of HTTP endpoints.