Quickstart
Get started with Parse in just a few minutes. This guide will walk you through your first document extraction.
1. Get your API key
Sign up for a free account and create an API key from the dashboard. Your key will look like pk_live_...
2. Extract data
Upload a file and extract structured data in a single call. The API accepts PDF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, TIFF, BMP, HEIC, and AVIF files.
curl -X POST https://api-parse.conversiontools.io/v1/extract \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-F "file=@invoice.pdf"Response
{
"success": true,
"id": "ext_789...",
"filename": "invoice.pdf",
"status": "completed",
"data": {
"vendor_name": "Acme Corp",
"invoice_number": "INV-2024-001",
"date": "2024-01-15",
"items": [
{
"description": "Consulting Services",
"quantity": 10,
"unit_price": 150.00,
"amount": 1500.00
}
],
"subtotal": 1500.00,
"tax": 150.00,
"total": 1650.00
},
"pages_used": 1
}3. Download as CSV or Excel (optional)
Need a spreadsheet instead of JSON? Start an export for any completed extraction, then download the file. Exports are free and nested data is flattened into rows, ready for a spreadsheet.
# Start the export (format: csv or xlsx)
curl -X POST https://api-parse.conversiontools.io/v1/extractions/ext_789.../export \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"format": "xlsx"}'
# Download once ready
curl -L -o invoice.xlsx \
"https://api-parse.conversiontools.io/v1/extractions/ext_789.../export?format=xlsx" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"You can also pass output_format on the extract request to have the spreadsheet ready automatically when the extraction completes.
Next steps
- API Reference - full endpoint documentation with sync and async methods
- Custom Schemas - define exactly which fields to extract
- Examples - invoice, receipt, and form extraction examples