REST API Quick Start

Five steps: verify your key, pick a brand, pick a collection, create a draft, confirm it landed. Nothing here publishes, queues, or schedules anything.

Before you start

You need:

• A Nuelink account with at least one brand and one collection.
• An API key from Settings → API.
• curl, or any server-side HTTP client.

Put the key in an environment variable. Not in source code, not in browser JavaScript, not in a URL, not in a log:

read -rs NUELINK_API_KEY && export NUELINK_API_KEY
export NUELINK_API_BASE="https://app.nuelink.com/api/public/v1"

read -rs does not echo what you type, so the key never appears on screen or as a literal in your history. In CI, inject NUELINK_API_KEY from your secret manager instead.

# confirm it is set without printing it
[ -n "$NUELINK_API_KEY" ] && echo "key loaded"

Why the curl flags

The examples below use --fail-with-body --silent --show-error. Plain curl exits 0 on a 422 and prints the error body as if it were a result, which is how bad responses get piped into scripts unnoticed. These flags make curl exit non-zero on HTTP errors while still showing you the response body.

1. Verify the key

cURL

curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUELINK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "$NUELINK_API_BASE/me"

JavaScript

const base = process.env.NUELINK_API_BASE;
const apiKey = process.env.NUELINK_API_KEY;

const response = await fetch(`${base}/me`, {
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    Accept: 'application/json',
  },
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

PHP

<?php

$base = getenv('NUELINK_API_BASE');
$apiKey = getenv('NUELINK_API_KEY');

$ch = curl_init("{$base}/me");

curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        "Authorization: Bearer {$apiKey}",
        'Accept: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
curl_close($ch);

if ($status >= 400) {
    throw new RuntimeException("HTTP {$status}: {$response}");
}

echo $response;

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "id": "user_id",
    "name": "Example User",
    "joinedAt": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000000Z",
    "timezone": "UTC"
  }
}

GET /auth returns the same response, if you’d rather your code say “validate” than “who am I”.

2. Pick a brand

cURL

curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUELINK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "$NUELINK_API_BASE/brands?page=1&per_page=100"

JavaScript

const base = process.env.NUELINK_API_BASE;
const apiKey = process.env.NUELINK_API_KEY;

const response = await fetch(`${base}/brands?page=1&per_page=100`, {
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    Accept: 'application/json',
  },
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

PHP

<?php

$base = getenv('NUELINK_API_BASE');
$apiKey = getenv('NUELINK_API_KEY');

$ch = curl_init("{$base}/brands?page=1&per_page=100");

curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        "Authorization: Bearer {$apiKey}",
        'Accept: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
curl_close($ch);

if ($status >= 400) {
    throw new RuntimeException("HTTP {$status}: {$response}");
}

echo $response;

Save the id of the brand you want:

export BRAND_ID="1001"

Don’t take the first brand

On a multi-brand account, match by title and stop if more than one is plausible. Silently defaulting to data[0] is the single most common way an integration posts to the wrong workspace.

3. Pick a collection

cURL

curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUELINK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "$NUELINK_API_BASE/brands/$BRAND_ID/collections?page=1&per_page=100"

JavaScript

const base = process.env.NUELINK_API_BASE;
const brandId = process.env.BRAND_ID;
const apiKey = process.env.NUELINK_API_KEY;

const response = await fetch(`${base}/brands/${brandId}/collections?page=1&per_page=100`, {
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    Accept: 'application/json',
  },
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

PHP

<?php

$base = getenv('NUELINK_API_BASE');
$brandId = getenv('BRAND_ID');
$apiKey = getenv('NUELINK_API_KEY');

$ch = curl_init("{$base}/brands/{$brandId}/collections?page=1&per_page=100");

curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        "Authorization: Bearer {$apiKey}",
        'Accept: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
curl_close($ch);

if ($status >= 400) {
    throw new RuntimeException("HTTP {$status}: {$response}");
}

echo $response;

export COLLECTION_ID="2001"

Look at each collection’s channels before you choose. The collection decides where a non-draft post publishes. If you want a target that can’t reach anyone while you’re testing, create a collection with no channels, see Endpoints.

4. Create a draft

cURL

curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUELINK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "$NUELINK_API_BASE/brands/$BRAND_ID/collections/$COLLECTION_ID/posts" \
  --data '{
    "title": "API quick-start draft",
    "caption": "This draft was created through the Nuelink API.",
    "publishMode": "DRAFT"
  }'

JavaScript

const base = process.env.NUELINK_API_BASE;
const brandId = process.env.BRAND_ID;
const collectionId = process.env.COLLECTION_ID;
const apiKey = process.env.NUELINK_API_KEY;

const payload = {
  title: 'API quick-start draft',
  caption: 'This draft was created through the Nuelink API.',
  publishMode: 'DRAFT',
};

const response = await fetch(`${base}/brands/${brandId}/collections/${collectionId}/posts`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    Accept: 'application/json',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify(payload),
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

PHP

<?php

$base = getenv('NUELINK_API_BASE');
$brandId = getenv('BRAND_ID');
$collectionId = getenv('COLLECTION_ID');
$apiKey = getenv('NUELINK_API_KEY');

$payload = [
    'title' => 'API quick-start draft',
    'caption' => 'This draft was created through the Nuelink API.',
    'publishMode' => 'DRAFT',
];

$ch = curl_init("{$base}/brands/{$brandId}/collections/{$collectionId}/posts");

curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($payload),
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        "Authorization: Bearer {$apiKey}",
        'Accept: application/json',
        'Content-Type: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
curl_close($ch);

if ($status >= 400) {
    throw new RuntimeException("HTTP {$status}: {$response}");
}

echo $response;

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "id": 4733837,
    "message": "Post created successfully"
  }
}

5. Confirm it landed

The create response tells you a post exists. It doesn’t tell you what kind. Read it back:

cURL

curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUELINK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "$NUELINK_API_BASE/brands/$BRAND_ID/collections/$COLLECTION_ID/posts?page=1&per_page=100"

JavaScript

const base = process.env.NUELINK_API_BASE;
const brandId = process.env.BRAND_ID;
const collectionId = process.env.COLLECTION_ID;
const apiKey = process.env.NUELINK_API_KEY;

const response = await fetch(`${base}/brands/${brandId}/collections/${collectionId}/posts?page=1&per_page=100`, {
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    Accept: 'application/json',
  },
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

PHP

<?php

$base = getenv('NUELINK_API_BASE');
$brandId = getenv('BRAND_ID');
$collectionId = getenv('COLLECTION_ID');
$apiKey = getenv('NUELINK_API_KEY');

$ch = curl_init("{$base}/brands/{$brandId}/collections/{$collectionId}/posts?page=1&per_page=100");

curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        "Authorization: Bearer {$apiKey}",
        'Accept: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
curl_close($ch);

if ($status >= 400) {
    throw new RuntimeException("HTTP {$status}: {$response}");
}

echo $response;

Find your post ID and check:

{
  "postingType": "DRAFT",
  "status": "DRAFT",
  "postDate": null
}

If postDate isn’t null, something scheduled it. Fix that before you write any more code.

Optional: attach media

The multipart field name is media:

cURL

curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUELINK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "$NUELINK_API_BASE/brands/$BRAND_ID/media" \
  -F "media=@./launch.jpg"

JavaScript

import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';

const base = process.env.NUELINK_API_BASE;
const brandId = process.env.BRAND_ID;
const apiKey = process.env.NUELINK_API_KEY;

const formData = new FormData();
formData.append('media', new Blob([await readFile('./launch.jpg')]), 'launch.jpg');

const response = await fetch(`${base}/brands/${brandId}/media`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    Accept: 'application/json',
  },
  body: formData,
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

PHP

<?php

$base = getenv('NUELINK_API_BASE');
$brandId = getenv('BRAND_ID');
$apiKey = getenv('NUELINK_API_KEY');

$ch = curl_init("{$base}/brands/{$brandId}/media");

curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => [
        'media' => new CURLFile('./launch.jpg'),
    ],
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        "Authorization: Bearer {$apiKey}",
        'Accept: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
curl_close($ch);

if ($status >= 400) {
    throw new RuntimeException("HTTP {$status}: {$response}");
}

echo $response;

Pass the returned string id into the post’s media array as {"id": "..."}. GET /media also returns opaque string IDs that can be used in post creation. If the file is already at a public URL, skip the upload and pass {"url": "..."} instead. See Endpoints.

Before you go to production

• Resolve brand and collection IDs at runtime. Never hardcode an ID from an example.
• Default uncertain publishing intent to DRAFT.
• Treat QUEUE, SCHEDULE, and IMMEDIATE as explicit decisions a human made.
• Don’t auto-retry a create after a timeout or a 5xx. See Errors.
• Respect the rate-limit headers and the brand’s timezone.
• Keep the key in a server-side secret manager.

Next: Authentication, Errors, Endpoints.