# Getting started
URL: https://docs.awellhealth.com/api-reference/guides/getting-started

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.awellhealth.com/llms.txt).



The Orchestration API is a single GraphQL endpoint your systems call to read and write
care-orchestration data: patients, care flows, activities, and more. This page walks you
through your first request end to end.

## Before you start [#before-you-start]

You need an API key. See [Authentication](/api-reference/guides/authentication) to obtain one
and learn how to send it.

## 1. Find the endpoint [#1-find-the-endpoint]

One GraphQL endpoint per environment and region. If you are building, that is Sandbox:

```
https://api.sandbox.awellhealth.com/orchestration/m2m/graphql
```

Production is regional — EU, US or UK. See
[Environments](/api-reference/guides/environments) for all four addresses and for which one your
data lives in.

## 2. Send an authenticated request [#2-send-an-authenticated-request]

`POST` to that endpoint with your key in an `apiKey` header and a JSON body holding `query`
and, if the query takes any, `variables`:

```bash
curl https://api.sandbox.awellhealth.com/orchestration/m2m/graphql \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'apiKey: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -d '{"query": "query { patients(pagination: {count: 1, offset: 0}) { patients { id } } }"}'
```

The value is the key itself — no `Bearer` prefix. See
[Authentication](/api-reference/guides/authentication) for where keys come from and why they belong
in a backend service.

## 3. Run your first query [#3-run-your-first-query]

Retrieve a single patient by Awell patient ID:

```graphql
query GetPatient($id: String!) {
  patient(id: $id) {
    patient {
      id
      profile {
        first_name
        last_name
        email
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Variables:

```json
{
  "id": "<AWELL_PATIENT_ID>"
}
```

Every response carries a `code` and a `success` boolean alongside its data. See
[Errors](/api-reference/guides/errors) for how to read them.

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* Browse the full operation catalog under **Reference** (for example,
  [Patients](/api-reference/reference/patients) and [Care flows](/api-reference/reference/care-flows)).
* Learn how list queries page through results in [Pagination](/api-reference/guides/pagination).