Quick Start Guide¶

Get up and running with the Tango API in 5 minutes or less.

Prerequisites¶

• Basic knowledge of HTTP and JSON
• A web browser or API client (like Postman, Insomnia, or curl)
• Optional: Programming language of your choice (Python, JavaScript, etc.)

Step 1: Get Your API Key¶

1. Visit Tango Web Interface
2. Sign up for an account or log in
3. Navigate to your API keys section
4. Create a new API key
5. Copy your API key (you'll need it for all requests)

Note: The API requires authentication for all access. Anonymous access is not supported. You'll need an API key for any usage.

Step 2: Make Your First API Call¶

Let's start with a simple request to get information about a government agency:

Using cURL¶

curl -H "X-API-KEY: your-api-key-here" \
  "https://tango.makegov.com/api/agencies/7200/"

Using Python¶

import requests

headers = {'X-API-KEY': 'your-api-key-here'}
response = requests.get(
    'https://tango.makegov.com/api/agencies/7200/',
    headers=headers
)

agency = response.json()
print(f"Agency: {agency['name']}")
print(f"Department: {agency['department']['name']}")

Using JavaScript¶

const response = await fetch('https://tango.makegov.com/api/agencies/7200/', {
  headers: {
    'X-API-KEY': 'your-api-key-here'
  }
});

const agency = await response.json();
console.log(`Agency: ${agency.name}`);
console.log(`Department: ${agency.department.name}`);

Step 3: Explore the Response¶

You should receive a JSON response like this:

{
  "code": "7200",
  "name": "Department of Veterans Affairs",
  "department": {
    "code": "36",
    "name": "Department of Veterans Affairs"
  },
  "abbreviation": "VA",
  "website": "https://www.va.gov"
}

Step 4: Try a More Complex Query¶

Now let's search for contracts awarded to a specific company:

curl -H "X-API-KEY: your-api-key-here" \
  "https://tango.makegov.com/api/contracts/?recipient=ACME&ordering=-award_date&limit=5"

This query: - Searches for contracts with "ACME" in the recipient name - Orders by award date (newest first) - Limits results to 5 contracts

Step 5: Understand the Response Format¶

Most API endpoints return paginated responses:

{
  "count": 1250,
  "next": "https://tango.makegov.com/api/contracts/?recipient=ACME&ordering=-award_date&limit=5&page=2",
  "previous": null,
  "results": [
    {
      "key": "CONT_AWD_47QSWA24P0BWF_4732_-NONE-_-NONE-",
      "piid": "47QSWA24P0BWF",
      "recipient": {
        "name": "ACME Corporation",
        "uei": "ZMXAHH8M8VL8"
      },
      "award_date": "2024-01-15",
      "obligated": 1500000.00,
      "description": "IT Services Contract"
    }
    // ... more results
  ]
}

Common Issues¶

Rate Limit Exceeded¶

If you see a 429 Too Many Requests error, you've hit your rate limit. Check the X-Requests-Remaining header to monitor your usage.

Authentication Error¶

If you get a 401 Unauthorized error, check that: - Your API key is correct - You're including the X-API-KEY header - Your API key is active

Invalid Request¶

If you get a 400 Bad Request error, check that: - Your URL parameters are properly formatted - Required parameters are included - Date formats are YYYY-MM-DD