--- title: "Start a Content product" url: /quickstart/content --- # Start a Content product > A live API that sells what you publish: free to list, paid by the read, or open whole to members by the month. You need Node 20 and a GitHub account. The examples use `briefs.apis.dev`, which stands for your domain; your first deploy answers at once on a free Host, and your own domain is one line. 1. **Start the folder** ```sh title="Terminal" $ npx apis.dev init content ✓ wrote definition.ts: a Content product next: npx apis.dev dev ``` `init` writes a [Content](/patterns/content.md) product with one kind of item, its review and its prices. 2. **Write the file** ```ts title="definition.ts" import { define } from 'apis.dev' /** A weekly brief on the software companies that changed headcount, for members and their agents. */ export default define({ name: 'briefs', domain: 'briefs.apis.dev', Issue: { // Noun: an edition your editors write week: 'string!#', title: 'string', body: 'markdown', status: { // Verbs: drafted, then published draft: [], publish: { in: 'drafted', role: 'editor' }, }, }, offer: { // Offer: free to list, paid by the read 'Issue.list': 0, 'Issue.read': 0.25, Member: { month: 8, includes: { 'Issue.read': 'all' } }, }, }) ``` An Issue is drafted, then published by an editor. Anyone lists Issues for free, a read of one is priced, and a Member's plan opens every read. 3. **Try it locally** ```sh title="Terminal" $ npx apis.dev dev ✓ every Interface on http://localhost:8787, against your Test twin reloads on every save ``` Draft, publish and read an Issue on localhost. Your [Test twin](/reference/platform.md#test-twin) keeps its own Issues, and its books never post. 4. **Publish it** ```sh title="Terminal" $ npx apis.dev deploy ✓ signed in with GitHub ✓ definition.ts: briefs on briefs.apis.dev ✓ Stripe connected: each Customer pays into your own account ✓ 1 Noun, 8 Verbs, 1 plan, 2 prices Issue draft, get, list, update, delete, restore, read, publish Member 8 a month, every Issue.read included Issue.list 0 a call Issue.read 0.25 a read ✓ published v1 to https://briefs.apis.dev: 11 Interfaces REST /issues CLI npx briefs MCP /mcp SDK npm i briefs, pip install briefs Docs /docs OpenAPI /openapi.json llms.txt /llms.txt agents.json /.well-known/agents.json Pricing /pricing Landing site / Developer portal /dashboard ✓ Test key: briefs_test_ZL8WX5MtmpaL96W5LKkpbLBBV5JEjpb6ed40 ``` Deploy prints `read` beside the moves: one whole Issue, sold by access. Anyone can list the Issues on your site and through the API, at no charge. 5. **Read the price list** ```json title="/pricing" { "currency": "USD", "rates": [ { "name": "Member", "price": 8, "unit": "month", "includes": { "Issue.read": "all" } }, { "name": "Issue.list", "price": 0, "unit": "call" }, { "name": "Issue.read", "price": 0.25, "unit": "call" } ] } ``` Your readers and their agents see both ways to pay before they read: a price a read, or a plan a month. 6. **Publish an Issue** **draft** ```sh title="Request" curl https://briefs.apis.dev/issues \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIEFS_KEY" \ --json '{ "week": "2026-W44", "title": "Who hired this week", "body": "Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30." }' ``` ```http title="Response" HTTP/1.1 201 Created Location: /issues/2026-W44 X-Action-Id: act_1 X-Cost: price=0, currency="USD" X-Request-Id: req_61936998da1fa61dab74 { "id": "issue_44", "week": "2026-W44", "title": "Who hired this week", "body": "Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.", "status": "drafted", "createdAt": "2026-10-26T06:00:00Z", "updatedAt": "2026-10-26T06:00:00Z" } ``` **publish** ```sh title="Request" curl -X POST https://briefs.apis.dev/issues/2026-W44/publish \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIEFS_KEY" ``` ```http title="Response" HTTP/1.1 200 OK X-Action-Id: act_2 X-Cost: price=0, currency="USD" X-Request-Id: req_73ca46e71f66378cb0fd { "id": "issue_44", "week": "2026-W44", "title": "Who hired this week", "body": "Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.", "status": "published", "createdAt": "2026-10-26T06:00:00Z", "updatedAt": "2026-10-26T08:30:00Z" } ``` An editor drafts the week's Issue and publishes it with their own [Key](/reference/platform.md#key). Only a member who holds the `editor` Role can publish. 7. **Read it with no credits** **curl** ```sh title="Request" curl https://briefs.apis.dev/issues/2026-W44 \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIEFS_KEY" \ -H "Prefer: code=402" ``` **TypeScript** ```ts title="TypeScript" import { Briefs } from 'briefs' const api = new Briefs({ key: process.env.BRIEFS_KEY }) const { error, meta } = await api.readIssue('2026-W44') // error: { status: 402, code: 'payment_required' } // meta.cost: { price: 0, currency: 'USD' } ``` **Python** ```python title="Python" import os from briefs import Briefs api = Briefs(key=os.environ["BRIEFS_KEY"]) error, meta = api.read_issue("2026-W44") # error: { "status": 402, "code": "payment_required" } # meta.cost: { "price": 0, "currency": "USD" } ``` **CLI** ```sh title="Terminal" $ npx briefs login --key $BRIEFS_KEY $ npx briefs issues read 2026-W44 error 402 payment_required price 0 USD · req_ed7c2b0dac55cde2bd81 ``` **MCP** ```sh title="Request" curl https://briefs.apis.dev/mcp \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIEFS_KEY" \ -H "Prefer: code=402" \ --json '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "readIssue", "arguments": { "id": "2026-W44" } } }' ``` ```http title="Response" HTTP/1.1 200 OK X-Cost: price=0, currency="USD" X-Request-Id: req_490740fc55115341f8ba { "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "result": { "isError": true, "content": [ { "type": "text", "text": "{\"status\":402,\"code\":\"payment_required\"}" } ], "structuredContent": { "status": 402, "code": "payment_required" }, "_meta": { "cost": { "price": 0, "currency": "USD" }, "requestId": "req_490740fc55115341f8ba" } } } ``` ```http title="Response" HTTP/1.1 402 Payment Required Content-Type: application/problem+json X-Cost: price=0, currency="USD" X-Request-Id: req_ed7c2b0dac55cde2bd81 { "type": "https://briefs.apis.dev/docs/errors#payment_required", "title": "Payment Required", "status": 402, "detail": "The credit balance is 0; Issue.read draws 0.25 from it.", "code": "payment_required", "instance": "req_ed7c2b0dac55cde2bd81", "offers": [ { "kind": "credits", "price": 10, "checkout": "https://briefs.apis.dev/checkout/credits-10" }, { "kind": "plan", "name": "Member", "price": 8, "checkout": "https://briefs.apis.dev/checkout/member" } ] } ``` A reader with no credits meets 402 at price 0, with two offers: a credit pack, or Member at $8 a month. Each opens Stripe Checkout. 8. **Buy credits and read it** **curl** ```sh title="Request" curl https://briefs.apis.dev/issues/2026-W44 \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIEFS_KEY" ``` **TypeScript** ```ts title="TypeScript" import { Briefs } from 'briefs' const api = new Briefs({ key: process.env.BRIEFS_KEY }) const { data, meta } = await api.readIssue('2026-W44') // data: { // 'id': 'issue_44', // 'week': '2026-W44', // 'title': 'Who hired this week', // 'body': 'Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.', // 'status': 'published', // 'createdAt': '2026-10-26T06:00:00Z', // 'updatedAt': '2026-10-26T08:30:00Z' // } // meta.cost: { price: 0.25, currency: 'USD' } ``` **Python** ```python title="Python" import os from briefs import Briefs api = Briefs(key=os.environ["BRIEFS_KEY"]) data, meta = api.read_issue("2026-W44") # data: { # "id": "issue_44", # "week": "2026-W44", # "title": "Who hired this week", # "body": "Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.", # "status": "published", # "createdAt": "2026-10-26T06:00:00Z", # "updatedAt": "2026-10-26T08:30:00Z" # } # meta.cost: { "price": 0.25, "currency": "USD" } ``` **CLI** ```sh title="Terminal" $ npx briefs login --key $BRIEFS_KEY $ npx briefs issues read 2026-W44 { "id": "issue_44", "week": "2026-W44", "title": "Who hired this week", "body": "Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.", "status": "published", "createdAt": "2026-10-26T06:00:00Z", "updatedAt": "2026-10-26T08:30:00Z" } price 0.25 USD · req_83c741a2f5aedafa4b1f ``` **MCP** ```sh title="Request" curl https://briefs.apis.dev/mcp \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIEFS_KEY" \ --json '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "readIssue", "arguments": { "id": "2026-W44" } } }' ``` ```http title="Response" HTTP/1.1 200 OK X-Cost: price=0.25, currency="USD" X-Request-Id: req_ce861093369d9ba88d97 { "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "result": { "content": [ { "type": "text", "text": "{\"id\":\"issue_44\",\"week\":\"2026-W44\",\"title\":\"Who hired this week\",\"body\":\"Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.\",\"status\":\"published\",\"createdAt\":\"2026-10-26T06:00:00Z\",\"updatedAt\":\"2026-10-26T08:30:00Z\"}" } ], "structuredContent": { "id": "issue_44", "week": "2026-W44", "title": "Who hired this week", "body": "Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.", "status": "published", "createdAt": "2026-10-26T06:00:00Z", "updatedAt": "2026-10-26T08:30:00Z" }, "_meta": { "cost": { "price": 0.25, "currency": "USD" }, "requestId": "req_ce861093369d9ba88d97" } } } ``` ```http title="Response" HTTP/1.1 200 OK X-Cost: price=0.25, currency="USD" X-Request-Id: req_83c741a2f5aedafa4b1f { "id": "issue_44", "week": "2026-W44", "title": "Who hired this week", "body": "Acme grew from 180 to 240 people; Globex cut 30.", "status": "published", "createdAt": "2026-10-26T06:00:00Z", "updatedAt": "2026-10-26T08:30:00Z" } ``` The same read answers the whole Issue and draws $0.25. A Member reads it, and every other Issue, at 0. 9. **Get paid** ```text title="Stripe receipt · October 2026 · USD" Issue.read 14 × 0.25 3.50 ─────────────────────────────────── Total 3.50 Paid from 10.00 of credits 3.50 Balance 6.50 ``` This is one reader's month, paid from a pack of credits. A Member's receipt is one line a month, and each lands in your own Stripe account. ## Result Your API answers on https://briefs.apis.dev: Issues your editors draft and publish, at $0.25 a read for a person or an agent. The list of Issues is free, and a Member opens every Issue whole at $8 a month. You wrote no paywall, no subscription code and no metering. ## Next steps - **[Start a Marketplace](/quickstart/marketplace.md) →** sell what many suppliers do, under your brand, and keep a share of each sale. - [Content](/patterns/content.md): editions, access tiers, one-off products, communities and licence terms. - [Commerce](/commerce.md): subscriptions, per-read prices, credits and refunds on Stripe.