How do I get Started with RocketReach API?

The RocketReach API allows you to programmatically search and retrieve contact information for professionals and companies. This guide will walk you through the initial setup and key concepts to get started.

Key Takeaways

Find more in-depth documentation here: API Documentation
RocketReach API enables programmatic access to professional and company contact data.
You must generate and use an API Key for authentication.
All API requests require the API Key in the request header.
Rate limits apply— when you reach rate limits, you may receive a 429 error.
Webhooks are available for automating workflows and reducing the need for polling.
You can track API usage in the RocketReach API Settings dashboard.

Introduction to the RocketReach API

RocketReach provides an API to help businesses and developers find contact details for over 700 million professionals and 35 million companies. With this API, you can:

Perform person and company lookups
Search for contacts based on various criteria
Retrieve email addresses, phone numbers, and social media links
Automate workflows using webhooks
Integrate contact information into CRM or sales tools

To use the API, you’ll need an API key, which serves as your unique identifier for authentication.

How to Get Your RocketReach API Key

Every request to the RocketReach API requires an API Key for authentication. Follow these steps to obtain yours:

Step 1: Log in to RocketReach

Go to RocketReach
Sign in or create an account if you don’t have one

Step 2: Navigate to API Settings

Click on your Profile Icon in the top right corner
Click on Account Settings from the dropdown menu
Select API Usage & Settings from the left pane menu

Step 3: Generate an API Key

Locate the API Key section
Click Generate API Key
Copy and securely store your API Key (you’ll need this for every API request)

🚨 Note: If you generate a new API key, your previous key will be invalidated.

Authenticating API Requests

All RocketReach API calls require authentication via an API Key. You must include your API Key in the request header.

Example API Request

Here’s an example using cURL:

curl -G --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/lookup' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --data-urlencode 'name=John Doe' \
     --data-urlencode 'current_employer=Google'

For Python, using the requests library:

import requests

headers = {
    "Api-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}

response = requests.get("https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/lookup", headers=headers)
print(response.json())

✅ If authentication is successful, the API will return the requested data.
❌ If the API Key is missing or invalid, you will receive a 401 Unauthorized error.

Viewing and Managing API Usage

To track API usage and manage your limits:

Go to RocketReach API Usage & Settings from your Account Settings
Check:
- Total Contacts
- Lookups Remaining
- Person Exports Remaining (if applicable)
- Lifetime API Calls
- Recent Errors

If you exceed your rate limits, you may receive a 429 Too Many Requests error. To resolve this, either:

Reduce your request frequency
Upgrade to a Custom API plan by contacting sales@rocketreach.co

Next Steps

Now that you have set up your API Key and understand authentication, here’s what you can do next:

How Do I Search for People Using the RocketReach API?– Learn how to find contacts based on name, company, and job title
Retrieve Company Information – Discover metadata about businesses using the API
Use Webhooks – Automate API workflows with webhook integrations
Troubleshoot API Errors – Find solutions to common API issues