Virushee Getting Started: Fast Setup and First API Call (2026)

Getting started overview

Integrating Virushee for malware detection and threat analysis involves a structured process that begins with account creation and culminates in executing your first API request. This guide outlines the essential steps to configure your environment and perform a basic file or URL scan using the Virushee API. The API is designed as a RESTful service, facilitating integration with various programming languages and systems.

Before making API calls, users need to sign up for a Virushee account and generate an API key. This key serves as the primary method for authenticating requests to the Virushee platform. While official SDKs are not provided, the API documentation offers examples in common languages such as Python, Go, and cURL, enabling developers to quickly adapt the examples to their preferred environment. The process typically involves:

1. Signing up for a Virushee account.
2. Locating or generating your API key from the dashboard.
3. Constructing an HTTP request to a Virushee endpoint.
4. Including your API key in the request header for authentication.
5. Parsing the JSON response from the Virushee API.

Virushee offers a Developer Plan that provides 500 API requests per month, allowing for initial testing and development without immediate cost. This free tier is suitable for understanding the API's capabilities and integrating it into development workflows before scaling to higher-volume paid plans.

Quick Reference Guide

Create an account and get keys

To begin using Virushee, the first prerequisite is to establish an account. Navigate to the official Virushee homepage and follow the registration prompts. During the signup process, you will typically provide an email address, create a password, and agree to the terms of service. Upon successful registration, you will gain access to the Virushee dashboard.

Once logged in, your API key will be accessible within the dashboard, usually under a section labeled "API Keys" or "Settings." This key is a unique string that authenticates your requests to the Virushee API, ensuring that only authorized applications can access its services. It is critical to treat your API key as sensitive information, similar to a password. Best practices for API key management include:

• Keeping keys confidential: Never embed API keys directly in client-side code or public repositories.
• Using environment variables: Store keys in environment variables on your server or development machine.
• Restricting access: Limit who has access to your API keys within your organization.
• Regenerating keys: Periodically rotate your API keys, especially if you suspect compromise.

For detailed instructions on managing your API keys, refer to the Virushee authentication documentation. This section provides specific guidance on where to find your key, how to regenerate it, and any applicable security recommendations.

Your first request

After acquiring your API key, you can proceed with making your first authenticated request to the Virushee API. This example demonstrates a basic file scanning operation using cURL, a common command-line tool for making HTTP requests. The Virushee API expects the API key to be sent in the X-API-Key header for authentication.

A typical first request involves scanning a file for known threats. For this example, we will simulate scanning a file. The Virushee API documentation provides a specific endpoint for file scanning.

Example: Scanning a File with cURL

To perform a file scan, you would typically upload the file content. For simplicity, we'll use a placeholder for the file path. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Virushee API key and /path/to/your/file.txt with the actual path to a file you wish to scan.

curl -X POST \
  https://api.virushee.com/v1/scan/file \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@/path/to/your/file.txt"

Upon successful execution, the API will return a JSON response containing the scan results. A typical response might look like this:

{
  "scan_id": "some-unique-scan-id",
  "status": "pending",
  "filename": "file.txt",
  "upload_timestamp": "2026-05-29T10:00:00Z"
}

The status field indicates the current state of the scan. For real-time results, you might need to poll a separate endpoint using the scan_id or configure webhooks, as described in the Virushee Webhook documentation, for asynchronous notifications.

Example: Scanning a URL with cURL

To scan a URL, the process is similar but targets a different endpoint and requires the URL as a parameter. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Virushee API key.

curl -X POST \
  https://api.virushee.com/v1/scan/url \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "http://example.com/malicious_link"}'

The response structure for a URL scan will be similar to the file scan, providing a scan_id and initial status, which can then be used to retrieve detailed results.

Common next steps

Once you have successfully made your first API call, consider these common next steps to further integrate and optimize your use of Virushee:

1. Review Detailed Scan Results: The initial scan request often returns a scan ID and a pending status. To get the full analysis, you will need to query the results endpoint using the provided scan_id. Consult the Virushee API reference for retrieving scan results.
2. Implement Webhooks: For production environments, polling for scan results can be inefficient. Virushee supports webhooks, allowing the API to send a notification to your application once a scan is complete. This asynchronous approach is generally more scalable. Refer to the Virushee Webhook documentation for setup instructions.
3. Explore Advanced Scanning Options: The Virushee API offers various parameters for customizing scans, such as specifying detection engines or requesting specific types of analysis. Review the full API reference to understand all available options and optimize your threat detection strategy.
4. Integrate with a Programming Language: While cURL is useful for testing, integrate the API into your application using a language-specific HTTP client (e.g., Python's requests library, Go's net/http package). Examples for common languages are provided in the Virushee code examples section.
5. Monitor API Usage: Keep track of your API request volume to stay within your plan's limits. The Virushee dashboard typically provides usage statistics. Understanding your usage patterns can help you decide if you need to upgrade your Virushee pricing plan.
6. Error Handling: Implement robust error handling in your application to manage API rate limits, invalid requests, and other potential issues. The Virushee error codes documentation provides details on common error responses and their meanings.
7. Review Security Best Practices: Beyond just API key management, understand general API security principles. For instance, the OAuth 2.0 specification is a widely adopted standard for secure API authorization, though Virushee primarily uses API keys for simplicity in its core services. Always ensure your integration follows secure coding practices.

Troubleshooting the first call

Encountering issues during your initial API calls is common. Here are some troubleshooting steps for typical problems when interacting with the Virushee API:

• Incorrect API Key:
  • Symptom: 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden HTTP status code.
  • Solution: Double-check that your API key is correctly copied from your Virushee dashboard and included in the X-API-Key header of your request. Ensure there are no leading or trailing spaces. Regenerate your API key if you suspect it's compromised or invalid, as detailed in the Virushee authentication guide.
• Missing or Malformed Request Body/Parameters:
  • Symptom: 400 Bad Request HTTP status code.
  • Solution: Verify that your request body (e.g., the JSON payload for URL scans or the file upload for file scans) matches the requirements specified in the Virushee API Reference. Ensure correct content types (e.g., application/json for JSON bodies, multipart/form-data for file uploads).
• Rate Limits Exceeded:
  • Symptom: 429 Too Many Requests HTTP status code.
  • Solution: You might have exceeded the request limit for your current plan (e.g., 500 requests/month on the Developer Plan). Check your usage in the Virushee dashboard. Implement exponential backoff or consider upgrading your plan if you consistently hit this limit.
• Network Connectivity Issues:
  • Symptom: Connection timeouts or host unreachable errors.
  • Solution: Ensure your network can reach https://api.virushee.com. Check firewall rules or proxy settings if you are in a corporate network. Verify basic internet connectivity.
• Incorrect Endpoint:
  • Symptom: 404 Not Found HTTP status code.
  • Solution: Confirm that the URL you are sending the request to precisely matches the endpoint specified in the Virushee API reference (e.g., /v1/scan/file vs. /v1/scan/url).
• Outdated Documentation/API Version:
  • Symptom: Unexpected responses or errors despite following instructions.
  • Solution: Always ensure you are consulting the latest version of the Virushee documentation and targeting the correct API version (e.g., /v1/ in the URL).