Quickstart

Use this page the first time you connect Whop to your app or backend. You’ll sign up, create an API key, and make your first call. By the end you have a live checkout link and a webhook landing on your server.

Keep WHOP_API_KEY on your server. Don’t put Account API keys in browser code, mobile apps, or public repositories.

Set up your account

Go to whop.com/start and create your Whop account. The onboarding flow creates your first business, which is the Account that owns API keys, products, webhooks, and payments.

Open the dashboard

After onboarding, open whop.com/dashboard. If you have more than one business, choose the one you want to build against from the business switcher.

Open Developer

Select Dashboard ↗ in the top-right corner of these docs to open your developer dashboard directly.

Create an API key

For the quickest path, create an Account API key. Use this when your server acts on behalf of your own business.

Create an Account API key

In Account API Keys, select Create. Name the key something you can recognize later, like Local development or Production payments.

Choose permissions

For the first call below, use the Admin role or grant the read permissions listed on Retrieve Requesting Account. For production, switch to a narrower custom permission set once you know exactly which endpoints you use.

Copy the key

Copy the key when Whop shows it. Store it in your local .env file as WHOP_API_KEY.

Whop dashboard Account API Keys section showing a key name, masked value, and Create button

Choose your key type

Most integrations start with an Account API key and never need the others. Auth & API keys covers every credential type and how to scope one down.

Account API keys

Use an Account API key when your server fetches data or performs actions for your own Account and its connected accounts. This is the key the steps above create.

App API keys

Use an App API key when you build an app and need to reach data on the accounts that installed it.

In the dashboard, open Apps.
Select Create app and give your app a name. You can change the name later.
Your key is the hidden value after WHOP_API_KEY in the Environment variables section. Use the reveal button to show it, then store it somewhere safe.

OAuth tokens

Use an OAuth token when you want users to sign in with their Whop account and grant your app permission to act for them. An OAuth token is scoped to what that individual user can access, rather than to your app’s own permissions. Reach for it when you need “Sign in with Whop,” access to a user’s memberships or profile, or actions taken as a specific user. See the OAuth guide for the full flow.

Install the SDK

pnpm add @whop/sdk

pip install whop-sdk

gem install whop_sdk

Add your credentials to .env:

WHOP_API_KEY=whop_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Make your first call

Retrieve the account tied to your API key. This confirms your key and permissions work, and prints your account ID, which starts with biz_.

curl https://api.whop.com/api/v1/accounts/me \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $WHOP_API_KEY"

{
	"id": "biz_XXXXXXXX",
	"title": "Acme Studio",
	"route": "acme-studio",
	"status": "approved"
}

import Whop from "@whop/sdk";

const apiKey = process.env.WHOP_API_KEY;

if (!apiKey) {
  throw new Error("Set WHOP_API_KEY");
}

const client = new Whop({
  apiKey,
});

const account = await client.accounts.me();

console.log(account.id);

import os
from whop_sdk import Whop

client = Whop(
    api_key=os.environ["WHOP_API_KEY"],
)

account = client.accounts.me()

print(account.id)

require "whop_sdk"

whop = WhopSDK::Client.new(
  api_key: ENV.fetch("WHOP_API_KEY"),
)

account = whop.accounts.me

puts account.id

That’s your account. The key works.

Every endpoint page also has a playground, so you can skip the terminal. Open Retrieve Requesting Account, paste your key, and select Send.

Do something real

One call creates a plan and returns a purchase_url, a live checkout page anyone can pay you at. Open it in your browser.

const checkout = await client.checkoutConfigurations.create({
	plan: {
		title: "Starter",
		plan_type: "one_time",
		initial_price: 10.0,
		currency: "usd",
	},
});

console.log(checkout.purchase_url);

checkout = client.checkout_configurations.create(
    plan={
        "title": "Starter",
        "plan_type": "one_time",
        "initial_price": 10.0,
        "currency": "usd",
    },
)

print(checkout.purchase_url)

checkout = whop.checkout_configurations.create(
  plan: {
    title: "Starter",
    plan_type: "one_time",
    initial_price: 10.0,
    currency: "usd",
  },
)

puts checkout.purchase_url

The link is live. If someone checks out, they get charged and your balance goes up. Use the sandbox to test without moving real money.

If you already have a plan, pass plan_id instead of the inline plan. You can’t send both. Create Checkout Configuration lists every option, including recurring pricing, trials, and redirect URLs.

See a webhook

Whop sends a webhook to your server when something happens in your business, like payment.succeeded or membership.activated.

Create a local webhook endpoint

Add a POST endpoint in your app and expose it with ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel, or another HTTPS tunnel while developing.

Create the webhook in the dashboard

Open Developer > Webhooks, then select Create webhook.

Whop Developer Webhooks page with a Create webhook button

Enter your URL and events

Paste your HTTPS endpoint, keep the API version on v1, and select the events you want to receive.

Create webhook form showing the endpoint URL and API version fields

Create webhook form showing the payment_succeeded event selected in the events list

Send a test event

Use the webhook row actions to send a test event. When your server logs the request, your setup is complete.

Whop dashboard test webhook menu showing Send event

Test in the sandbox

The sandbox is a separate environment with its own dashboard and its own keys. Money never moves there, so you can run checkouts, payouts, and webhooks against realistic data without charging anyone. Sandbox and production keys look identical, so store them under different names. See Test in the sandbox for how to switch environments.

Pin your API version

Whop versions the API by date. The SDKs send the version they were generated against. If you call the API directly, send the header so later changes don’t break your integration:

curl https://api.whop.com/api/v1/accounts/me \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $WHOP_API_KEY" \
  -H "Api-Version-Date: 2026-07-01"

See API versioning for how dated versions work.

Now build what you came for

You sell a subscription or a one-time product

Checkout links, embedded checkout, plans, and trials.

You owe money to people who aren't you

Payouts, transfers, balances, and the payout portal.

You take a cut of what other people sell

Connected accounts, collecting on their behalf, and paying them out.

You want distribution, not just infrastructure

Apps that run inside Whop, with auth, views, and the CLI.

Your product needs people talking to each other

Chat, DMs, and forums you can embed.

You just want to read the reference

Every resource in the Current API, with a playground on each endpoint.

Get Started

Foundations

Support

Set up your account

Create an API key

Choose your key type

Account API keys

App API keys

OAuth tokens

Install the SDK

Make your first call

Do something real

See a webhook

Test in the sandbox

Pin your API version

Now build what you came for

You sell a subscription or a one-time product

You owe money to people who aren't you

You take a cut of what other people sell

You want distribution, not just infrastructure

Your product needs people talking to each other

You just want to read the reference

​Set up your account

​Create an API key

​Choose your key type

​Account API keys

​App API keys

​OAuth tokens

​Install the SDK

​Make your first call

​Do something real

​See a webhook

​Test in the sandbox

​Pin your API version

​Now build what you came for

You sell a subscription or a one-time product

You owe money to people who aren't you

You take a cut of what other people sell

You want distribution, not just infrastructure

Your product needs people talking to each other

You just want to read the reference

Set up your account

Create an API key

Choose your key type

Account API keys

App API keys

OAuth tokens

Install the SDK

Make your first call

Do something real

See a webhook

Test in the sandbox

Pin your API version

Now build what you came for