> This page is for Developer.

> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.bigcommerce.com/_mcp/server.

# Lab - Getting Started

Plan: Stencil Developer

Lesson 3 of 22 · 30 min

Getting Started

**In this lab you will**

* Install Postman
* Create an OAuth token from your sandbox store's control panel
* Create a preset for request headers
* Create an environment in Postman for your sandbox store

**Prerequisites**

* BigCommerce store (sandbox or live)
* Basic knowledge of APIs
* REST client (Postman)
* Active BigCommerce store with user permission to edit Template Files

## Getting Started with Postman

![Postman](/_fern-files/bigcommerce.docs.buildwithfern.com/06ad56a9d0958247053fc761075377adef5168a60af45e83249cba57b71fd898/assets/learn/widgets-rest-api/ium3gFOOYknydgAB.png)

1. **Navigate** to [postman.com](https://www.postman.com/)
2. **Click** "Sign Up for Free" in the top right corner
3. **Fill out** the form provided
4. **Click** Create Free Account

## Create an OAuth Token

Create an OAuth token from your sandbox store's control panel

1. **Log in** to your sandbox store

> **Info**
>
> Make sure you are logging in using the user account with Store Owner permissions. For more information, see the [Store API Accounts](https://support.bigcommerce.com/s/article/Store-API-Accounts) article in the support portal.

2. **Navigate** to Settings > API > Store-level API accounts
3. **Click** the Create API Account button
4. **Select** "V2/V3 API token" as the Token Type
5. **Type** a name for the API account
6. **Copy** the store hash from the API path

> **Info**
>
> The store hash is the alphanumeric string in the **API path** between /stores/ and /v3/. This string uniquely identifies this store when sending requests to `https://api.bigcommerce.com/`
>
> Example:\
>
> API Path: `https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/abcd1234/v3/`\
>
> Store Hash: abcd1234
>
> The store hash can also be found in your **Control Panel URL**.
>
> Example:\
>
> Control Panel URL: `https://store-abcd1234.mybigcommerce.com/`\
>
> Store Hash: abcd1234

7. **Save** the store hash somewhere that you can access to complete later steps in this lab activity
8. Under the OAuth scopes, **set** the Products scope to Modify
9. **Click** the Save button
10. **Copy** the API credentials, then store them in a place you can access later

![API credentials](file:assets/learn/widgets-rest-api/unnamed\(3\).png)

> **Info**
>
> A .txt file containing the same credentials will (on most browsers) automatically download to your computer.
>
> There is no way to re-display this pop-up after you select Done to dismiss it. So make sure you store your credentials – either by copying/pasting the contents of each field out of the pop-up, or by keeping the downloaded .txt file. Otherwise, you will need to repeat all the above steps to generate new credentials.
>
> From a security perspective, these credentials are sensitive – please treat them with the same caution that you would treat a private key or root password.

## Create a Postman Environment

> **Info**
>
> "What are environments?
>
> While working with APIs, you will often need to have different setups. For example, your local machine, the development server, or the production API. Environments give you the ability to customize requests using variables. This way you can easily switch between different setups without changing your requests. You won't have to worry about remembering all those values once they are in Postman. Environments can be downloaded and saved as JSON files and uploaded later."
>
> Source: [Managing Environments](https://learning.postman.com/docs/sending-requests/managing-environments/)

1. If it is not already open, **open** Postman
2. In the Workspace menu on the left side of the page, **click** the Environments tab

![Postman environment](/_fern-img/a325f8a3e2c1775d266829b152458d5067f2c7fb2bffc29093c7ae8b343f6fce.webp)

3. **Click** the + button to create a new environment
4. **Type** a name, such as "My Sandbox Store" into the Environment Name field
5. **Create** the following variables:

**Environment Variables**

| **Variable** | **Type** | **Initial Value**                                        | **Current Value**                                        |
| ------------ | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| store\_hash  | Default  | Paste your store hash                                    | Paste your store hash                                    |
| v3\_token    | Default  | Paste your Access Token copied from API account creation | Paste your Access Token copied from API account creation |

6. **Click** Save
7. Before you make a call, you must **Assign** the new environment. Above the Save button, **Click** the drop down arrow next to "No Environment". **Select** your new environment to assign.

## Create a Preset for Request Headers

> **Info**
>
> Saving your request header information in a preset will allow you to quickly populate your request headers rather than having to re-enter this information.

1. **Open** Postman
2. **Navigate** to your workspace
3. **Click** + to open a new tab
4. **Click** on the Headers tab
5. **Click** on Presets
6. **Click** Manage Presets
7. **Click** Add
8. **Add** the following presets

**Postman Presets**

| **Header**   | **Value**        |
| ------------ | ---------------- |
| Accept       | application/json |
| Content-Type | application/json |
| X-Auth-Token | `{{v3_token}}`   |

9. **Click** Add to save

## Import the Postman Widgets Collection

1. **Click** the 'Import' option in the top menu in Postman
2. **Download** the JSON file below:
   (right-click on the file below and select "save link as")

[Download Postman Collection](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bigcommerce-edu/assets-widgets-rest-api/refs/heads/main/Widgets%20API%20Labs.postman_collection.json)

3. **Click** 'Import' in the import modal
4. **Drag & Drop** the downloaded JSON file

![Import Postman collection](/_fern-img/64948c6e66e7ca4036f7b11f59a0d0093e451fb73081940d169fd2d3c81582c5.webp)