---
schema_version: "1"
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title: Get Started with the Journey Builder API
collection: developer
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/developer/current/en-us/marketing-cloud/guides/mc-apis/get-started-jb.md
canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/get-started-jb.html
source_site: developer.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 6493d014395ab6aaac77001656ffe4c9dcf9cfda3405dc32ada8b7cfa120c633
products:
  - Marketing Cloud Engagement APIs and Programmatic Languages
  - Marketing Cloud
---
# Get Started with the Journey Builder API

## Prerequisites

To integrate with Journey Builder programmatically, you must first obtain an authentication token.

1.  To get a client ID and secret, create an installed package with an API Integration component.
2.  Using the above credentials, get an OAuth access token for authenticating your API calls.
3.  Use the access token in the header to authenticate each subsequent call.

## Use the Journey Builder API

1.  [Create a sendable data extension](/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/references/mc-custom_objects?meta=createDataExtension).

2.  [Create an event definition](/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/references/mc_rest_interaction/createEventDefinition.html). The event definition determines entry settings for the journey, controlling who gets in and when. Use the sendable data extension created in step 1 as the entry source. If using a custom application for Journey Builder functionality, you can also define an entry event via the API using the POST /eventDefinitions resource.

3.  [Build the journey](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/getting-started-spec.md). Use the Journey Specification to build out the JSON of your journey.

    - Define the activities. Activities determine the pace and content of contact messaging and data updates as the journey executes. Marketers create a chain of activities by dragging and dropping activities onto the Canvas.
    - Define a goal (optional). A goal measures the journey's effectiveness.

4.  [Publish the journey](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/postPublishInteractionById.md). Once a journey is active, Marketing Cloud Engagement continually evaluates Contacts using the entry event criteria to determine if a journey should be invoked.

5.  [Fire an entry event](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/how-to-fire-an-event.md). A journey begins when the event it is configured to detect occurs. Use the event definition key created for the event definition in step 2.

## Related Items

- [Get a Client ID and Secret](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/mc-app-development/api-integration.md)
- [Server-to-Server Integrations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/mc-app-development/integration-s2s-client-credentials.md)
- [Web and Public App Integrations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/mc-app-development/integration-app-auth-code.md)
- [API Specification](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/jb-api-specification.md)
- [Event Definition Overview](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/event-definition-key.md)