Form templates / Software & IT
API Access Request Form
An API access request form has to establish what someone will do with the API before you hand over a key. Use case, environment, scopes and expected volume.
For software teams, IT departments and managed service providers.
Ask for expected volume, because rate limits are a conversation
The integration that takes a platform down is almost never malicious - it's a well-meaning developer polling every second because nobody told them not to. That's a documentation and expectation problem, discovered at the worst moment.
So this template asks for expected request volume and whether they'll poll or use webhooks. It also asks for a technical contact who can be reached if something goes wrong - which is the field you'll be most grateful for at 2am.
Screen before you spend time
Most of the work in an application process is on the ones that were never eligible. Asking the disqualifying questions first - dates, requirements, basic facts - means you spend your reading time on the real candidates.
A bug report that doesn't need three follow-ups
"It's broken" costs a developer an hour of guessing. Steps to reproduce, expected versus actual, browser and version turn a report into something that can be triaged without a conversation.
Fields make people answer the questions they'd otherwise skip - and being able to filter a month of reports by area or severity tells you where to spend the next sprint.
Long enough to decide, short enough to finish
Applications fail in two directions: too short to judge, or so long that good candidates give up. This template asks what a decision genuinely needs, split into steps so it never looks like a wall.
One minute to make it your own
Every label, option and placeholder on this template is editable, and you can add whatever this template doesn't ask. Save to publish, share the link, and export the responses whenever you need them in a spreadsheet.
What this template asks
- Your name
- Work email
- Company
- Website
- Technical contact for incidents
- What are you building?
- What kind of integration?
- Which scopes do you need?
- Which environment?
- Expected requests per day
- How will you read data?
- How often would you poll?
- Any data residency requirements?
- How will you store the API key?
- Will the integration handle personal data?
- I have read and accept the API terms of use
- I understand rate limits apply and will handle 429 responses
- Anything else?
More Software & IT forms
Questions
Should sandbox access need approval?
Usually not - make sandbox self-service and keep the approval for production. That way developers can evaluate without waiting, and you only review the requests that carry risk.
What scopes should we ask about?
List your real scopes and ask which are needed. Developers tick fewer than you'd expect when the list is specific, which is exactly the outcome you want.
Can applicants attach a CV or document?
Not yet - file uploads are on the roadmap. Most people ask for a link (to a portfolio, a CV in cloud storage, or a profile) which works today and keeps the form fast.
Can I close applications on a deadline?
Yes. Close the form and anyone with the link sees a short closed page instead of the questions, so nobody fills in an application that can't be considered.
Can more than one person review them?
Yes - invite your team into the same account and they'll see the same responses. You can also export to a spreadsheet and score them wherever you like.
Can this feed into our issue tracker?
Point a webhook at your tracker and every submission is posted to it as JSON as it arrives, or pull responses from the REST API. There's also a CSV export for bulk import.
Publish your api access request form today
Start from this template and change anything you like. Free to begin.