# Quick Start Guide

### **Before you begin**

Firstly, follow the guide for [authentication](https://docs.lhv.com/home/connect/fundamentals/authentication "mention") to ensure that you have a valid certificate and other preconditions in place. This guide will walk you through the basics of certificates and authentication and getting up the connection.

***

### Verifying your connection and Heartbeat request

When your certificates are set up your are ready to send your first API request! Our Heartbeat service helps you to verity that you actually have the connection up and ready to go!

For simplicity, the following request is made using cURL.

#### Request

{% code overflow="wrap" %}

```bash
curl -k -H "Client-Code: 01234567" -H "Client-Country: GB" https://connect.development.lhv.com/heartbeat --cert <path_to_certificate> --key <path_to_certificate_key> 
```

{% endcode %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
The -k flag allows curl to perform insecure SSL connections and transfers. It ignores SSL certificate validation errors. It's should only be used for testing purposes like in this guide
{% endhint %}

#### Response

```xml
<HeartBeatResponse>
    <TimeStamp>2023-12-19T12:13:49.341+00:00</TimeStamp>
</HeartBeatResponse>
```

***

### Your first Account Info request and response

Now it is time to execute your first API request providing access to your accounts and financial services.

* Please familiarize with the chapter about the [messaging](https://docs.lhv.com/home/connect/fundamentals/messaging "mention")
* As a first business service we recommend [account-balance](https://docs.lhv.com/home/connect/services/account-reports/account-balance "mention"). It is one of the simplest services that provides any information about your payment accounts.

***

### Explore and integrate other services

Now that you have verified a request/response cycle with the Connect API, it is time to proceed further and explore our other services at [services](https://docs.lhv.com/home/connect/services "mention")