API usage and rate limits
See how many API documents this billing cycle has used, what happens past the included allowance, and the per-key request limit your plan carries.
Settings > Developer opens on Usage, which shows how many API documents this billing cycle has used against how many your plan includes, and when the count resets. Underneath it are the base URL and the header your client sends. The Developer section is available on Business and Ultimate, and it's admin-only.
Read the usage figures
The big number is documents used, followed by the number included and a progress bar. The reset date sits at the top right of the block.
The line below the bar changes with where you stand. Under the allowance it counts down: how many are left before overage, then the per-document price after that, and a note that sends are not blocked. Past the allowance it counts up instead, naming how many documents are billable and what they have come to so far this cycle.
What your plan includes
| Plan | API documents included each cycle | Requests per minute, per key |
|---|---|---|
| Business | 40 | 10 |
| Ultimate | 200 | 10 |
Documents past the included figure cost $0.40 each. That is deliberately an allowance rather than a ceiling: a busy month bills you for the extra and every send still goes out. The difference matters if you're building anything customer-facing.
The included figure is flat for the workspace and doesn't grow with seats. Only live documents count towards it, and a sandbox document created with a test key is never metered.
Understand the rate limit
Ten requests a minute, counted per key. Two keys get separate budgets, which is a reasonable way to keep a batch job from starving your interactive traffic.
A request over the limit comes back as HTTP 429 in the same error envelope as everything else. Handle it the way you'd handle any rate limit: back off, wait for the window to roll, retry. The window is a minute long, so a short pause clears it.
A workspace using IP restrictions applies them to API keys too. A request from an address outside the allowlist is refused with a 403 no matter how few requests you have made.
Point your client at the API
The Connecting block at the bottom of the tab holds the two things a client needs:
- Base URL is
https://api.documentesign.com/v1. - Auth is an
Authorization: Bearerheader carrying your API key.
The same block links an openapi.json file generated from the API itself, so it can't drift from what the endpoints actually accept. Import it into Postman or any OpenAPI client and you have the full surface without transcribing anything. The Documentation button in the section header opens the written reference.
If something goes wrong
- The used count looks lower than you expected. Sandbox documents don't count. Check whether your integration is still holding a test key.
- The figures never move. Nothing has been sent through the API this cycle. Documents created in the web app are counted against your normal plan limits instead, not this one.
- You're getting 429 responses. More than ten requests went out in a minute on one key. Pace the calls, or split the work across a second key.
- Every request comes back 403 with an IP message. The workspace has an IP allowlist and your server's address isn't on it. Add the address, or send from a host that is already listed.
- The included figure shows an infinity symbol. The workspace has unlimited API documents, and no overage will ever be charged.
Frequently asked questions
Does going past the included documents stop my sends?
No. The included figure is a free threshold, and documents beyond it are billed at forty cents each and go out normally. The usage page switches its wording once you cross it and shows how many are billable and what they have added up to so far this cycle.
Do sandbox documents count towards the allowance?
Never. A document created with a key beginning sk_test_ is not metered and not billed, which is stated in small print under the usage figures. Only live documents move the number, so you can test as much as you need without touching the allowance.
What does the rate limit apply to?
Requests, not documents, and each API key carries its own count instead of sharing a workspace pool. Business and Ultimate allow ten requests a minute for each key. Going past it returns a 429 response, and the window rolls forward so a short pause clears it.
When does the usage counter reset?
At the start of each billing cycle. The page prints the reset date at the top right of the usage block, next to the heading. It tracks your subscription period, so the date moves with when you first subscribed and rarely lands on the first of the month.
Where do I find the full API reference?
The Documentation button in the top right of the Developer section opens it, and the usage page links an openapi.json file generated from the API itself. Import that file into Postman or any OpenAPI client to get every endpoint and field without copying anything by hand.
Keep going
Create and manage API keysBusiness and up
Mint a test or live API key under Settings > Developer, copy the secret the one time it is shown, and rotate or revoke keys without downtime.
ReadSet up webhooks and replay deliveriesBusiness and up
Register an https endpoint, subscribe it to document events, verify the signature header, and replay any delivery from the log without touching your data.
ReadPlan limits at a glance: documents, templates, seats
Every cap on Free, Growth, Business and Ultimate in one table, plus the exact message you see when you reach one.
Read