---
title: "Quickstart: create an event and sell tickets"
description: Create a venue, an event, a date and a ticket type over the B2B API, publish the event, sell tickets through the public API, and track the sales.
sidebar:
  label: Quickstart
---

This guide goes through the full lifecycle with `curl`. Each step uses an id returned by the step before it. The same calls are available as [CLI commands](/cli/commands) and [MCP tools](/mcp/tools).

You need a key with `write` scope and the `ADMIN` role in the target workspace. See [Authentication](/guides/authentication).

```bash
export FT=https://admin.appfreeticket.com/api/v1
export FT_KEY=ft_live_xxx
export WS=<workspace-id>   # from GET /me
```

1. **Check who you are**

    ```bash
    curl -s $FT/me -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY"
    ```

    Copy the `id` of the workspace you want to work on from `workspaces[]` into `WS`.

2. **Create a venue**

    ```bash
    curl -s -X POST $FT/venues \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" \
      -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "name": "Teatro Ejemplo",
        "address": "Calle 1 # 2-3",
        "city": "Bogotá",
        "country": "CO",
        "capacity": 500
      }'
    ```

    Save `data.id` as `VENUE_ID`. A venue is optional. Skip it for an online event.

3. **Create the event with its first date**

    ```bash
    curl -s -X POST $FT/events \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" \
      -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "name": "Concierto de prueba",
        "slug": "concierto-de-prueba",
        "description": "Una noche de música en vivo.",
        "venueId": "'"$VENUE_ID"'",
        "dates": [
          { "startsAt": "2026-12-12T01:00:00Z", "timezone": "America/Bogota" }
        ]
      }'
    ```

    The event is created as `DRAFT`. Save `data.id` as `EVENT_ID` and `data.nextDate.id` as `DATE_ID`.

    To add more dates later, use `POST /events/{id}/dates`, or list them with `GET /events/{id}/dates`.

4. **Add a ticket type**

    ```bash
    curl -s -X POST $FT/ticket-types \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" \
      -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "eventDateId": "'"$DATE_ID"'",
        "name": "General",
        "price": 80000,
        "currency": "COP",
        "capacity": 300,
        "maxPerOrder": 10,
        "isVisible": true,
        "organizerAbsorbsFee": false
      }'
    ```

    Save `data.id` as `TICKET_TYPE_ID`. The response also includes the buyer-facing breakdown (`buyerServiceFee`, `iva`, `buyerTotal`): the price the buyer actually pays per unit. Set `saleStartsAt` and `saleEndsAt` to open and close sales on a schedule.

5. **Publish**

    ```bash
    curl -s -X POST $FT/events/$EVENT_ID/publish \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" \
      -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS"
    ```

    Publishing needs at least one future date. Without one, it returns `409`. Once published, the event can be sold through the storefront and the public API.

6. **Sell a ticket**

    **Buyer checkout (public API)**

    The public API needs no key. It creates a pending order and returns a payment link for the buyer:

    ```bash
    curl -s -X POST https://appfreeticket.com/api/public/orders \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "buyerName": "Laura Gómez",
        "buyerEmail": "laura@example.com",
        "items": [{ "ticketTypeId": "'"$TICKET_TYPE_ID"'", "quantity": 2 }]
      }'
    ```

    The response `data` holds `orderId`, `reference`, `status` (`pending`), the authoritative `total` and `currency`, a `checkoutUrl` and `expiresAt`. Send the buyer to `checkoutUrl`. The stock is held until `expiresAt`. Poll `GET /orders/{orderId}` until `status` is `paid`. The tickets are then emailed to the buyer. See [Public storefront API](/guides/public-api).

    **Comp or offline sale (B2B API)**

    Record a sale that is already settled, such as a complimentary ticket or a sale paid outside FreeTicket. It is created as `CONFIRMED` and nothing is charged:

    ```bash
    curl -s -X POST $FT/sales \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" \
      -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -H "Idempotency-Key: comp-laura-001" \
      -d '{
        "buyer": { "name": "Laura Gómez", "email": "laura@example.com" },
        "items": [{ "ticketTypeId": "'"$TICKET_TYPE_ID"'", "quantity": 1 }],
        "channel": "ADMIN",
        "comp": true
      }'
    ```

    With `comp: true` the unit price is zero. The `Idempotency-Key` makes retries safe. See [Idempotency](/guides/conventions#idempotency).

7. **Track sales and inventory**

    ```bash
    # Confirmed sales for the event
    curl -s "$FT/sales?event=$EVENT_ID&status=CONFIRMED" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS"

    # Capacity, sold, reserved and available per ticket type
    curl -s "$FT/reports/inventory?eventId=$EVENT_ID" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS"
    ```

    `GET /sales/{id}/tickets` returns the individual tickets of a sale, each with its ticket code.

8. **Check tickets in at the door**

    ```bash
    # Read-only: is this ticket valid?
    curl -s $FT/tickets/<ticket-code>/access \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS"

    # Admit it. Idempotent, so a second scan doesn't admit it twice.
    curl -s -X POST $FT/tickets/<ticket-code>/checkin \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $FT_KEY" -H "X-Workspace-Id: $WS"
    ```

    Door staff only need the `STAFF` role.

## The same flow from the CLI

```bash
ft venues create --data @venue.json
ft events create --data @event.json
ft ticket-types create --data @ticket-type.json
ft events publish <event-id>
ft sales list --event <event-id> --status CONFIRMED
ft reports inventory --event <event-id>
ft tickets checkin <ticket-code>
```

## Next steps

- [Errors, pagination and limits](/guides/conventions): handle failures and walk long lists.
- [Webhooks](/guides/webhooks): register for sale events.
- [B2B API reference](/reference/v1): every field of every operation.