Getting Started

Welcome to the Assist Insurances Developer Portal. This guide will help you get up and running with our APIs in minutes.

Overview

Assist Insurances provides two API environments:

• Production API (api.assistinsurances.ie) - For Insly integration with quote pricing and lookups
• Test API (apim-assist-test-ne.azure-api.net) - For Applied Systems integration with full quote lifecycle

Both APIs use OAuth 2.0 client credentials flow for authentication.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you'll need:

1. API credentials (client ID and client secret)
2. A development environment with support for HTTP requests
3. Basic understanding of REST APIs and OAuth 2.0

Get API Credentials

Contact neil.reilly@assistinsurances.ie to obtain your API credentials.

Quick Start: 5-Minute Integration

Step 1: Get an Access Token

Choose your preferred method:

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.assistinsurances.ie/auth/token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
  -d "client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -d "scope=api://1c15f5fa-f434-401b-b4ec-ab3ea75d48bb/assist-api-gateway/.default" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials"

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('https://api.assistinsurances.ie/auth/token', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
  },
  body: new URLSearchParams({
    client_id: 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
    client_secret: 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
    scope: 'api://1c15f5fa-f434-401b-b4ec-ab3ea75d48bb/assist-api-gateway/.default',
    grant_type: 'client_credentials',
  }),
});

const { access_token } = await response.json();
console.log('Access Token:', access_token);

Python

import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://api.assistinsurances.ie/auth/token',
    data={
        'client_id': 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
        'client_secret': 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
        'scope': 'api://1c15f5fa-f434-401b-b4ec-ab3ea75d48bb/assist-api-gateway/.default',
        'grant_type': 'client_credentials',
    }
)

access_token = response.json()['access_token']
print(f'Access Token: {access_token}')

C#

using System;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text.Json;

var client = new HttpClient();
var content = new FormUrlEncodedContent(new Dictionary<string, string>
{
    { "client_id", "YOUR_CLIENT_ID" },
    { "client_secret", "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" },
    { "scope", "api://1c15f5fa-f434-401b-b4ec-ab3ea75d48bb/assist-api-gateway/.default" },
    { "grant_type", "client_credentials" }
});

var response = await client.PostAsync(
    "https://api.assistinsurances.ie/auth/token",
    content
);

var jsonDoc = JsonDocument.Parse(await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync());
var accessToken = jsonDoc.RootElement.GetProperty("access_token").GetString();
Console.WriteLine($"Access Token: {accessToken}");

Response:

{
  "access_token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc...",
  "token_type": "Bearer",
  "expires_in": 3599
}

Token Expiry

Access tokens are valid for 1 hour (3599 seconds). Implement token caching and refresh logic in your application.

Step 2: Make Your First API Call

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.assistinsurances.ie/priceQuote" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "in_policy.dateInception": "2025-10-02T00:00:00+01:00",
      "in_customer.dateOfBirth": "1987-09-18",
      "in_dts.raterCover": "Comprehensive"
    }
  }'

JavaScript

const quoteResponse = await fetch('https://api.assistinsurances.ie/priceQuote', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${access_token}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    data: {
      'in_policy.dateInception': '2025-10-02T00:00:00+01:00',
      'in_customer.dateOfBirth': '1987-09-18',
      'in_dts.raterCover': 'Comprehensive',
    },
  }),
});

const quote = await quoteResponse.json();
console.log('Quote:', quote);

Python

import requests

quote_response = requests.post(
    'https://api.assistinsurances.ie/priceQuote',
    headers={
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {access_token}',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    json={
        'data': {
            'in_policy.dateInception': '2025-10-02T00:00:00+01:00',
            'in_customer.dateOfBirth': '1987-09-18',
            'in_dts.raterCover': 'Comprehensive',
        }
    }
)

quote = quote_response.json()
print(f'Quote: {quote}')

C#

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Net.Http.Headers;
using System.Text;
using System.Text.Json;

var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization =
    new AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", accessToken);

var quoteData = new
{
    data = new
    {
        in_policy.dateInception = "2025-10-02T00:00:00+01:00",
        in_customer.dateOfBirth = "1987-09-18",
        in_dts.raterCover = "Comprehensive"
    }
};

var response = await client.PostAsync(
    "https://api.assistinsurances.ie/priceQuote",
    new StringContent(
        JsonSerializer.Serialize(quoteData),
        Encoding.UTF8,
        "application/json"
    )
);

var quote = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
Console.WriteLine($"Quote: {quote}");

Response:

{
  "rater.Comp.GrossPrem": 372.5,
  "rater.Comp.PolFee": 60.0,
  "rater.Comp.PremAfterPolFee": 426.0
}

Next Steps

Now that you've made your first API call, explore:

• Authentication Guide - Deep dive into OAuth 2.0 implementation
• Insly Integration - Complete guide for Insly system integration
• Applied Systems Integration - Full quote lifecycle management
• API Reference - Detailed endpoint documentation
• Error Handling - Best practices for error handling

Rate Limits

All APIs have a rate limit of 100 requests per minute per IP address. Rate limit information is included in response headers:

• X-RateLimit-Limit - Maximum requests per minute
• X-RateLimit-Remaining - Remaining requests in current window
• X-RateLimit-Reset - Unix timestamp when the rate limit resets

Rate Limit Exceeded

If you exceed the rate limit, you'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests response. Implement exponential backoff in your application.

Need Help?

• Technical Support: neil.reilly@assistinsurances.ie
• API Status: Check service status and uptime
• Changelog: Review recent API updates and changes

Best Practices

1. Token Management

   • Cache access tokens and reuse them until expiry
   • Implement automatic token refresh before expiry
   • Never expose credentials in client-side code

2. Error Handling

   • Always check HTTP status codes
   • Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
   • Log errors for debugging

3. Performance

   • Use connection pooling for HTTP clients
   • Implement request timeouts (recommended: 30 seconds)
   • Cache lookup results where appropriate

4. Security

   • Store credentials securely (use environment variables or secret management)
   • Use HTTPS for all API calls
   • Rotate credentials periodically