Quick Start

To set up and run REST API, send a few basic requests to Salesforce. This Quick Start explains setting up a basic environment and updating a record using REST API. You can set up and use REST API in many ways, and the examples show how to use the free Developer Edition and cURL.

Using cURL

Get to know the formatting that you can use with cURL to make requests to Salesforce. This Quick Start uses cURL examples, but you can use any tool or development environment that can make REST requests.
Step One: Sign up for Salesforce Developer Edition

Developer Edition provides a free and easy solution so that you can use Salesforce for testing and development.
Step Two: Set Up Authentication

To successfully send requests, REST API requires an access token obtained by authentication. Although you can create and authenticate against your own connected app, these Quick Start examples use Salesforce CLI for convenience. Salesforce CLI is a connected app that you can authenticate, and it requires no work to configure.
Step Three: Walk Through the Sample Code

To access different types of resources in Salesforce, make a series of REST requests. Before you try these examples, make sure to complete the prerequisites and obtain an access token in Step 1 of this Quick Start.
Using Other Tools

Other tools are available to obtain data from your Salesforce org.