Quick Start — Developer Journey
This guide walks you through the complete end-to-end journey on the Digital Infrastructure Sandbox (DIS) Developer Portal, from discovery to a production-ready application.
Step 1 — Access the portal and sign in
Navigate to the DIS Developer Portal and authenticate using a federated identity (GitHub ID, Google ID, or your organisational SSO). Upon successful sign-in you are taken to the Developer Dashboard.
If you do not have an account, click Register on the landing page. No credit card is required — the Free Tier is available immediately.
Step 2 — Developer Dashboard
The dashboard is your central hub. It shows:
- A summary of available APIs across DPI building blocks
- Your current sandbox usage and API Points balance
- Applications you have registered
- Recent platform notifications and incident alerts
Step 3 — Explore APIs in the API Catalog
Navigate to API Catalog in the left menu. APIs are grouped by DPI building block (Identity, Payments, National Data Exchange, Verifiable Credentials, Digital Signatures).
Each API card shows:
- Name, status badge, and data classification (Public / Confidential / Restricted)
- Short description and available endpoints
- Version number, endpoint count, and performance metrics (latency, uptime)
- View Documentation and Try in Sandbox action buttons
Use the search bar to filter by name or description, and the category filters to narrow by DPI component.
Step 4 — View API details
Click any API card to open the detail page. You will find:
| Tab | Content |
|---|---|
| Overview | Description, publisher, authentication method, status |
| API Documentation | Full OpenAPI spec in ReDoc — endpoints, request/response schemas, code examples |
| Swagger UI | Interactive sandbox — try live calls directly in the browser |
| Endpoints | Structured table of all endpoints with HTTP method and status badges |
Use the version switcher at the top of the page to navigate between all published versions of the API.
Step 5 — Test in the Sandbox
Click Try in Sandbox from any API card or switch to the Swagger UI tab on the detail page.
The sandbox:
- Runs against synthetic data — no real citizen data is used or stored
- Mirrors production API behaviour exactly
- Includes a Test Scenarios Panel with predefined cases covering success paths, errors, consent issues, rate limits, and 404s
- Has official, versioned DPI SDKs pre-installed
See the full Sandbox walkthrough → in the User Guide for step-by-step instructions.
Step 6 — Register an application
Navigate to My Applications → Register an Application.
- Provide your application name, description, and intended use case.
- Select the APIs your application will consume.
- The portal generates sandbox API credentials (client ID and client secret) linked to the application.
See Registering an Application → in the User Guide for the full walkthrough.
Step 7 — Build and self-test
From My Applications, open your app in the sandbox and integrate the sandbox APIs into your codebase. Use the built-in tools to:
- Test end-to-end user journeys
- Validate error handling for all edge cases in the Test Scenarios Panel
- Complete the basic security self-assessment checklist
Step 8 — Compliance and vetting
Navigate to Compliance to begin the application graduation pathway.
The portal runs automated checks including:
- Security vulnerability scans
- Data residency validation
- Consent flow verification
You then work through three checklists:
| Checklist | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Security | OAuth 2.0, data encryption at rest and in transit, token management |
| Privacy | Data minimisation, Privacy Policy URL, consent management flows |
| Vetting Process | Submission → Security Review → Policy Review → Final Approval |
A manual policy review by the DPI Governance Authority is required for Tier 3 applications.
Step 9 — Certification
Once approved, your application is certified for production use. The certification badge appears in your application dashboard and is visible to API owners.
Step 10 — Monitor usage
Navigate to Metrics to monitor your application's API consumption in real time:
- Total API calls, successful requests, failed requests
- Average response time and latency per API
- Hourly traffic distribution — identify peak usage times
- Error breakdown by type
Step 11 — Manage your subscription
Navigate to Subscription to review your current tier and API Points balance.
| Tier | Best for |
|---|---|
| Free | Exploration, prototypes, learning |
| Extended Sandbox | MVPs, hackathons, pilots |
| Pre-Production / Partner | Near-production testing, SLA requirements |