# API overview

> Use your Shuttle account's API to create payment links, look up and refund payments, and reconcile, from your own systems.

If you use Shuttle Payment Links or the Twilio Pay connector, your account has an API for your own payments and customers. Use it from your own systems to create payment links, look up and refund payments, and reconcile what you've been paid.

## Getting your key

Your API key is your account's secret key. An Admin finds it in the Merchant Portal under **Configure** > **Account**. API keys come with a paid plan. See [Authentication](/merchants/reference/api-keys/).

## What you can do

| To | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Create payment links from your systems, for example one per invoice | [Payment links](/merchants/reference/operations/createpaymentlink/) |
| Take, capture, void and refund payments | [Payments](/merchants/reference/operations/createpayment/), [Refund a payment](/merchants/reference/operations/refundpayment/) |
| See every payment attempt and refund, for reconciliation | [Transactions](/merchants/reference/operations/listtransactions/) |
| Look up your customers and their saved cards | [Accounts](/merchants/reference/operations/listaccounts/), [Payment methods](/merchants/reference/operations/listpaymentmethods/) |
| Manage recurring payments and instalments | [Contracts](/merchants/reference/operations/listcontracts/), [Charges](/merchants/reference/operations/listcharges/) |

Payments taken over the phone with the [Twilio Pay connector](/merchants/twilio/intro/) are payments like any other: look them up, capture them and refund them with the same API.

List endpoints return results a page at a time. See [Paging through results](/merchants/reference/paging/).

## Set up in the Merchant Portal

Your account's setup is done in the [Merchant Portal](https://merchant.shuttleglobal.com), not through the API:

- payment providers: **Configure** > **Payment Processing**
- payment links, branding and your page footer: **Configure** > **Payment Links** and **Branding**
- your webhook URL, notifications and API keys: **Configure** > **Account**
- your team: **Team**

Once your webhook URL is set, Shuttle sends events about your payments and payment links to it. See [Webhooks](/merchants/reference/webhooks/) and [Webhook events](/merchants/reference/webhook-events/).

## Building for many merchants?

If you're a software platform taking payments for your own merchants, see [Shuttle for Platforms](/platforms/getting-started/welcome/) and its [API overview](/platforms/reference/overview/).