# Get started

BeMap is BeNomad's REST API for routing, search, electric mobility and map context. Every service is a plain HTTPS call, and most answer JSON, so you can use it from any language. This guide takes you from nothing to a first route.

## What you need

- A BeMap account and its API key, which BeNomad issues. Ask your BeNomad contact if you do not have one yet.
- The options your use case needs. Each service is enabled per account, through an option such as Routing, Geocoding or EV smart routing; most operations in the [API reference](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/api.md) name the option they require.
- Any HTTP client: cURL, your language's standard library, or the tools you already use.

## Steps

1. [Authenticate](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/getting-started/authentication.md) with your account and API key, sent with HTTP Basic on every call.
2. [Send your first request](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/getting-started/first-request.md): a route, in the language of your choice.
3. [Read the answer and the errors](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/getting-started/errors.md). BeMap reports some failures in ways a generic client misreads, and this page shows how to recognise each one.

Then pick the services you need in the [API reference](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/api.md), check the [environments](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/getting-started/environments.md) and the [request limits](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/getting-started/limits.md), and follow the [guides](https://benomad.com/dev/doc/bemap-api/guides.md) for worked examples.

| Environment | Service base URL | BeNomad Tiles | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production | `https://bemap.benomad.com/bgis/service` | `mptiles-api.benomad.net` | BeMap 4.1.0 |
| Preproduction | `https://bemap-preprod.benomad.com/bgis/service` | `mptiles-api-preprod.benomad.net` | BeMap 4.1.0 |