> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://gmapscrawl.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run your first search

Create an API key in the [dashboard](https://gmapscrawl.com/dashboard/api-keys), then run this from your server. A test key returns simulated data without usage charges.

```bash theme={null}
curl https://gmapscrawl.com/api/v1/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GMSCRAPER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: seattle-coffee-search-001" \
  -d '{"q":"coffee shops in Seattle","page":1,"extra":false}'
```

Read `data.businesses` from the same response. `data.total` is between 0 and 20 and `data.params` echoes the normalized search. The envelope includes `request_id` and `schema_version`. No job polling or webhook setup. Allow up to 180 seconds for your client timeout. Most cached searches finish sooner; source availability and enrichment affect latency.

For enriched results, send `extra: true`. Maps details may have been observed up to 730 days earlier; inspect `place.observedAt`. See [data freshness](/docs/concepts/freshness).


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