Quickstart

This guide takes you from a new account to a real API response from QuickBooks Desktop. Plan on about ten minutes, plus access to a Windows computer with QuickBooks Desktop installed. A trial installation with a sample company file works.

You will:

1. Get a secret key.
2. Install an SDK.
3. Create an end user, which represents one of your customers.
4. Connect that end user’s QuickBooks Desktop through the setup link.
5. List the company file’s invoices.

1. Get a secret key

1. Sign up at /dashboard/sign-up and verify your email address. Your first visit creates an organization and a test project named Development. Test projects are free.

2. Open API keys, enter a name such as local development and click Create secret key.

3. Copy the key. It starts with sk_test_ and is shown only once. Store it as an environment variable on your server:

   export DAAPI_SECRET_KEY="sk_test_..."

4. On the same page, copy the Publishable key (pk_test_...). You need it in step 4 to create setup links.

Caution

Secret keys can read and change your customers’ accounting data. Keep them on your server. Never put a secret key in a browser, a mobile app or a public repository.

2. Install an SDK

TypeScript

npm install @desktopaccountingapi/quickbooks-desktop

Python

pip install desktopaccountingapi-quickbooks-desktop

C#

dotnet add package DesktopAccountingAPI.QuickBooksDesktop

Java

<dependency>
  <groupId>com.desktopaccountingapi</groupId>
  <artifactId>quickbooks-desktop</artifactId>
  <version>0.2.0</version>
</dependency>

curl

No installation. The examples use curl and read the key from $DAAPI_SECRET_KEY.

Every SDK reads DAAPI_SECRET_KEY from the environment when you do not pass a key.

3. Create an end user

An end user is your customer. Each end user connects one QuickBooks Desktop company file. Set sourceId to your own ID for that customer so you can find the end user again later.

TypeScript

create-end-user.ts

import { DesktopAccountingApi } from "@desktopaccountingapi/quickbooks-desktop";

const client = new DesktopAccountingApi(); // reads DAAPI_SECRET_KEY

const endUser = await client.endUsers.create({
  companyName: "Acme Supply",
  sourceId: "cust_8812",
  email: "ops@acme.example",
});
console.log(endUser.id); // eu_01j9...

Python

create_end_user.py

from desktopaccountingapi import DesktopAccountingApi

client = DesktopAccountingApi()  # reads DAAPI_SECRET_KEY

end_user = client.end_users.create(
    company_name="Acme Supply",
    source_id="cust_8812",
    email="ops@acme.example",
)
print(end_user.id)  # eu_01j9...

C#

CreateEndUser.cs

using DesktopAccountingApi.QuickBooksDesktop;
using DesktopAccountingApi.QuickBooksDesktop.Models;

var client = new DesktopAccountingApiClient(); // reads DAAPI_SECRET_KEY

var endUser = await client.EndUsers.CreateAsync(new EndUserCreateInput
{
    CompanyName = "Acme Supply",
    SourceId = "cust_8812",
    Email = "ops@acme.example",
});
Console.WriteLine(endUser.Id); // eu_01j9...

Java

CreateEndUser.java

import com.desktopaccountingapi.quickbooksdesktop.DesktopAccountingApiClient;
import com.desktopaccountingapi.quickbooksdesktop.models.EndUser;
import com.desktopaccountingapi.quickbooksdesktop.models.EndUserCreateInput;

DesktopAccountingApiClient client = DesktopAccountingApiClient.fromEnv();

EndUser endUser = client.endUsers().create(
    new EndUserCreateInput("Acme Supply", "cust_8812", "ops@acme.example"));
System.out.println(endUser.id()); // eu_01j9...

curl

curl https://api.desktopaccountingapi.com/v1/end-users \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DAAPI_SECRET_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"companyName":"Acme Supply","sourceId":"cust_8812","email":"ops@acme.example"}'

Save the returned id (eu_...) next to your customer record. You can also create end users in the dashboard under End users.

4. Connect QuickBooks Desktop

Create an auth session. Its authFlowUrl is a setup link that walks the person at the QuickBooks computer through connecting the company file.

TypeScript

create-setup-link.ts

import { DesktopAccountingApi } from "@desktopaccountingapi/quickbooks-desktop";

const client = new DesktopAccountingApi();

const session = await client.authSessions.create({
  publishableKey: "pk_test_...",
  endUserId: "eu_01j9...",
  linkExpiryMins: 60,
});
console.log(session.authFlowUrl);

Python

create_setup_link.py

from desktopaccountingapi import DesktopAccountingApi

client = DesktopAccountingApi()

session = client.auth_sessions.create(
    publishable_key="pk_test_...",
    end_user_id="eu_01j9...",
    link_expiry_mins=60,
)
print(session.auth_flow_url)

C#

var session = await client.AuthSessions.CreateAsync(new AuthSessionCreateInput
{
    PublishableKey = "pk_test_...",
    EndUserId = "eu_01j9...",
    LinkExpiryMins = 60,
});
Console.WriteLine(session.AuthFlowUrl);

Java

AuthSession session = client.authSessions().create(
    new AuthSessionCreateInput("pk_test_...", "eu_01j9...").linkExpiryMins(60));
System.out.println(session.authFlowUrl());

curl

curl https://api.desktopaccountingapi.com/v1/auth-sessions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DAAPI_SECRET_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"publishableKey":"pk_test_...","endUserId":"eu_01j9...","linkExpiryMins":60}'

The dashboard does the same thing: open the end user and click Create setup link.

Open the link on the Windows computer that runs QuickBooks Desktop. The flow takes about five minutes:

1. Open the company file in QuickBooks, signed in as Admin, in single-user mode.
2. Download the connector file (.qwc) and open it. The QuickBooks Web Connector starts and adds your application.
3. In QuickBooks, allow access and choose Yes, always; allow access even if QuickBooks is not running.
4. Paste the Web Connector password from the setup page into the Web Connector, then turn on Auto-Run.
5. Wait on the last page while it checks the connection live. It finishes when the connection test passes.

Connect QuickBooks Desktop in the help center shows each screen in detail, and it is the page to send your customers.

5. List invoices

Now call QuickBooks. QuickBooks Desktop operations need the end user’s ID, either per call or on a client scoped with forEndUser.

TypeScript

list-invoices.ts

import { DesktopAccountingApi } from "@desktopaccountingapi/quickbooks-desktop";

const client = new DesktopAccountingApi().forEndUser("eu_01j9...");

for await (const invoice of client.qbd.invoices.list({ limit: 10 })) {
  console.log(invoice.refNumber, invoice.customer?.fullName, invoice.balanceRemaining);
}

Python

list_invoices.py

from desktopaccountingapi import DesktopAccountingApi

client = DesktopAccountingApi().for_end_user("eu_01j9...")

for invoice in client.qbd.invoices.list(limit=10):
    print(invoice.ref_number, invoice.balance_remaining)

C#

var qb = new DesktopAccountingApiClient().ForEndUser("eu_01j9...");

await foreach (var invoice in qb.Qbd.Invoices.ListAsync(new InvoiceListParams { Limit = 10 }))
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{invoice.RefNumber} {invoice.Customer?.FullName} {invoice.BalanceRemaining}");
}

Java

DesktopAccountingApiClient qb = DesktopAccountingApiClient.fromEnv().forEndUser("eu_01j9...");

for (Invoice invoice : qb.qbd().invoices().list(new InvoiceListParams().limit(10))) {
    System.out.println(invoice.refNumber() + " " + invoice.balanceRemaining());
}

curl

curl "https://api.desktopaccountingapi.com/v1/quickbooks-desktop/invoices?limit=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DAAPI_SECRET_KEY" \
  -H "Daapi-End-User-Id: eu_01j9..."

The response is a list object, abridged here (real objects include every documented field, with null for empty values). Money is a decimal string such as "1250.00", so no amount is ever rounded by floating-point math:

{
  "objectType": "list",
  "url": "/v1/quickbooks-desktop/invoices",
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "1A4F-1730312567",
      "objectType": "qbd_invoice",
      "refNumber": "1042",
      "customer": { "id": "80000012-1730312001", "fullName": "Acme Supply" },
      "transactionDate": "2026-09-30",
      "subtotal": "1250.00",
      "salesTaxTotal": "0.00",
      "balanceRemaining": "1250.00",
      "revisionNumber": "1730312567"
    }
  ],
  "nextCursor": "c1.eyJ...",
  "hasMore": true,
  "remainingCount": 37,
  "cursorExpiresAt": "2026-10-05T16:04:11.120Z"
}

The TypeScript, Python, C# and Java loops above keep fetching pages until the list ends. Pagination explains cursors and their expiry.

6. See the request in the dashboard

Every response carries a Daapi-Request-Id header (req_...). Open Request log in the dashboard to see that request’s timeline: when it was queued, when the Web Connector picked it up, what QuickBooks returned and how long each step took.

Next steps

• Core concepts explains projects, end users, connections and requests.
• Connect an end user shows how to put the setup link inside your own product.
• Error handling covers what to do when the customer’s computer is off or QuickBooks shows a dialog.
• Going to production covers production projects and sk_live_ keys.