# Getting Started

Let's get building! Here are the steps to getting started.

## Step 1: Create a Client Application

Navigate to the Applications page of the Willow User Management app and select Public API v3. On the **Clients** tab, select **Add Client**.

![Add Client Application](/assets/public-api-add-client.05f5dd3457c045d96503bb2aca9ae1cbafbb677e8f0fd811a69cb802c035063d.9c1bb791.png)

Complete the Add Client details.

![Add Client Application Modal](/assets/public-api-add-client-modal.765148f0a8394e980149e4c014d00ab9ba7239147b02ce30214e9a07f9aa0598.9c1bb791.png)

Select **Edit Client** where you will see the **Client Id**. Next, select **Generate Secret** and the  **Client Secret** will be generated. If an expiration was selected, the expiration date will also be shown. Be sure to copy both of these values as they will be used for authentication.

![Generate Secret](/assets/public-api-client-generate-secret.8d4ebe9446745993d035958d2f3c3021d4355a967ca920887c4b0bd43649af7c.9c1bb791.png)

The Client Secret will not be visible again after leaving the Edit Client modal. If you have forgotten the secret, select Rotate to generate a new one.

## Step 2: Add Permissions

Now that we've created the Client Application and generated credentials, it's time to add permissions to the Client Application. On the **Assignments** tab, select **Add Assignment**.

![Add Assigment](/assets/public-api-add-assignment.731446c323c428e1106e2d6bbe7309f3fbae496c7519cf6ea8a2cb292648ecc0.9c1bb791.png)

Select your Client and the Permissions you would like to make available via the API.

![Add Assigment](/assets/public-api-add-assignment-modal.5dd6821ff69c8feaf9f22d6bfb6f1e172dfa75f1d35150d18f844b6f9375d55e.9c1bb791.png)

Option
You can select a Location to restrict the credentials from only accessing a specific Location's data.

## Step 3: Get a token

See [Authentication Endpoints](/docs/authentication-endpoints) for details on how to use your credentials to get an access token.