ORB Intelligence Getting Started: API Integration Guide (2026)

Getting started overview

Integrating with the ORB Intelligence API involves a series of steps designed to get developers operational with company data enrichment. This guide details the initial setup, from creating an account and obtaining necessary credentials to performing your first API call. The ORB Intelligence API provides access to various data points, including firmographics, technographics, and news, which can be used for applications such as CRM data enrichment, sales intelligence, and market research ORB Intelligence homepage. Adhering to these steps facilitates a smooth integration process.

The primary method for interaction is through RESTful API calls, commonly using JSON for request and response bodies ORB Intelligence documentation. Understanding basic HTTP methods and JSON structures is beneficial for working with the API effectively MDN Web Docs on HTTP methods.

Here's a quick reference table outlining the essential steps to get started:

Create an account and get keys

To begin using the ORB Intelligence API, you must first create an account. ORB Intelligence offers a Developer Plan, which provides 50 API requests per month free of charge, suitable for initial testing and development ORB Intelligence pricing page. Paid plans start at $99/month for 5,000 requests, offering increased capacity for production applications.

1. Navigate to the Pricing Page: Go to the ORB Intelligence pricing page.
2. Select a Plan: Choose the 'Developer Plan' for free access or a paid plan based on your anticipated usage.
3. Complete Registration: Follow the prompts to create your account. This typically involves providing an email address, setting a password, and agreeing to terms of service.
4. Access Developer Dashboard: Once registered and logged in, you will be redirected to your developer dashboard.
5. Locate API Key: Within the developer dashboard, find the section labeled 'API Keys' or 'Credentials'. Your unique API key will be displayed here. This key is essential for authenticating all your API requests. Treat your API key as sensitive information and protect it from unauthorized access, similar to how you would handle other authentication tokens AWS documentation on access key best practices.

The API key is typically a long alphanumeric string. It serves as your primary authentication method for the ORB Intelligence API. You will include this key in the headers or as a query parameter in each API request you make.

Your first request

After obtaining your API key, you can make your first request to the ORB Intelligence API. This example demonstrates how to query company data using the Company Data API, which is one of the core products offered ORB Intelligence API reference. We will use the GET /companies endpoint to search for a company by its domain.

Base URL

The base URL for the ORB Intelligence API is typically:

https://api.orbintelligence.com/1/

Authentication

API requests are authenticated by including your API key in the X-Orb-Api-Key HTTP header.

Example: Search for a company by domain

This example uses the /companies endpoint to retrieve information for a company based on its domain. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the actual API key you obtained from your developer dashboard.

cURL Example

cURL is a command-line tool and library for transferring data with URLs, widely used for testing API endpoints cURL documentation.

curl -X GET \
  'https://api.orbintelligence.com/1/companies?domain=stripe.com' \
  -H 'X-Orb-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json'

Python Example

Python, with its requests library, is a common choice for making HTTP requests in applications Python Requests documentation.

import requests
import json

api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
domain = "stripe.com"

url = f"https://api.orbintelligence.com/1/companies?domain={domain}"
headers = {
    "X-Orb-Api-Key": api_key,
    "Accept": "application/json"
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 200:
    company_data = response.json()
    print(json.dumps(company_data, indent=2))
else:
    print(f"Error: {response.status_code} - {response.text}")

Expected Response

A successful response (HTTP status code 200) will return a JSON object containing company data. The structure will vary based on the available information for the queried company but will generally include fields such as:

• name: The company's name.
• domain: The company's primary domain.
• industry: The industry sector.
• employee_count: Approximate number of employees.
• address: Company's physical address.
• technologies: Technologies used by the company (technographics).

For a detailed schema of the response, refer to the ORB Intelligence API reference documentation.

Common next steps

Once you have successfully made your first request, consider these common next steps to further integrate ORB Intelligence into your applications:

1. Explore Other Endpoints: The ORB Intelligence API offers various endpoints beyond basic company search, including the Company Search API (for broader search criteria) and the News & Events API ORB Intelligence API documentation. Review the documentation to understand the full range of available data and functionalities.
2. Implement Error Handling: Production applications should always include robust error handling. The API will return specific HTTP status codes and error messages for invalid requests, rate limits, or server issues. Implement logic to gracefully handle these scenarios.
3. Manage API Keys Securely: Ensure your API key is not hardcoded directly into your application's source code, especially for client-side applications. Use environment variables, secret management services, or secure configuration files to store and retrieve your API key Google Cloud on API key best practices.
4. Monitor Usage: Keep track of your API request usage to stay within your plan's limits. Your ORB Intelligence developer dashboard typically provides usage statistics.
5. Integrate with CRM/Marketing Automation: A primary use case for ORB Intelligence is enriching existing CRM data (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) or marketing automation platforms with detailed company firmographics and technographics ORB Intelligence use cases.
6. Set Up Webhooks (if available): For real-time updates on company data or events, check if ORB Intelligence offers webhook capabilities. Webhooks allow the API to notify your application directly when specific events occur, rather than requiring continuous polling Stripe documentation on webhooks.
7. Utilize SDKs (if available): While ORB Intelligence primarily focuses on direct API calls, if official or community-contributed SDKs (Software Development Kits) become available for your preferred programming language, they can streamline integration by abstracting away HTTP request details and providing language-specific objects.

Troubleshooting the first call

Encountering issues during your first API call is common. Here are some troubleshooting steps for typical problems:

• Check API Key: Double-check that your API key is correct and has been included in the X-Orb-Api-Key header. A common mistake is a typo or missing the header entirely. Ensure there are no leading or trailing spaces.
• Verify Endpoint URL: Confirm that the base URL and the specific endpoint path are accurate. Refer to the ORB Intelligence API reference for the exact URLs.
• Review HTTP Status Codes: The HTTP status code in the response provides crucial information about the error:
  • 400 Bad Request: Often indicates an issue with your request parameters (e.g., missing required parameters, invalid format). Check the request body or query parameters against the documentation.
  • 401 Unauthorized: This usually means your API key is missing or invalid. Re-check your X-Orb-Api-Key header.
  • 403 Forbidden: Your API key might not have the necessary permissions for the requested resource, or your account might be inactive.
  • 404 Not Found: The requested resource or endpoint does not exist. Verify the URL.
  • 429 Too Many Requests: You have exceeded your rate limit. Wait for a period before trying again, or consider upgrading your plan ORB Intelligence documentation on rate limits.
  • 5xx Server Error: These indicate an issue on the ORB Intelligence server side. If these persist, check the ORB Intelligence status page or contact their support.
• Examine Response Body for Error Messages: The API often returns a JSON response body with detailed error messages, even for non-200 status codes. Parse this body to get specific error reasons.
• Check Request Headers: Ensure all required headers, such as Accept: application/json, are correctly set.
• Network Connectivity: Verify that your environment has internet access and no firewalls are blocking outgoing requests to the ORB Intelligence API domain.
• Consult Documentation: The official ORB Intelligence API documentation is the most authoritative resource for endpoint specifics, error codes, and examples.