Using the REST API directly

4 min read Updated January 30, 2026

When to Use the REST API Directly

While we recommend using an official SDK when available, you may prefer direct REST calls if:

Your language doesn't have an SDK yet
You want minimal dependencies
You're testing from the command line
You're integrating from a low-code platform

Authentication

All requests require a Bearer token obtained via the OAuth token endpoint:

bash

# Get a token
export CG_TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST https://sandbox.api.compliancegrid.ai/oauth/token \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials" \
  -d "client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
  -d "client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" | jq -r '.access_token')

Making Requests

Include the token in the Authorization header:

bash

# GET request
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $CG_TOKEN" \
  "https://sandbox.api.compliancegrid.ai/v1/hs/search?q=laptop"

# POST request with JSON body
curl -X POST https://sandbox.api.compliancegrid.ai/v1/compliance/restricted-party-screening \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CG_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"parties": [{"name": "Test Corp", "country": "US"}]}'

Response Format

All responses return JSON with consistent error formatting:

json

{
  "error": "validation_error",
  "message": "'parties' array is required",
  "statusCode": 400
}

Common Headers

Header	Direction	Description
`Authorization`	Request	`Bearer <token>`
`Content-Type`	Request	`application/json` for POST/PUT
`X-RateLimit-Remaining`	Response	Remaining requests in window
`X-RateLimit-Reset`	Response	Window reset timestamp
`X-Data-Freshness`	Response	Data age in seconds

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