> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://giftbit.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Getting started > Choose a delivery method, decide between customized-list and full-catalog rewards, and structure your Giftbit integration. The Giftbit API is designed to be simple yet powerful. This guide is a starting point to help you structure your integration. We encourage you to reach out to the Giftbit team at any time to discuss your program and integration at [testbed@giftbit.com](mailto:testbed@giftbit.com). ## Deciding between delivery methods Before you begin building, consider which delivery method best suits your system workflow and your intended user experience. There are two delivery methods. > **Link-based** > > When your system places an order, it is fulfilled as a link-based reward that can be passed to another system for delivery.\ > Link-based formats include Shortlinks, Direct Links, and Embedded Rewards. > **Email** > > When your system places an order, it is fulfilled by Giftbit as an email-based reward delivered to the specified contact. ### Delivery option 1: Another system delivers a link You can receive a unique link and pass it to another system to deliver the reward to a recipient by email, SMS, or another distribution method. There are three types of links you can use here: `direct_link`, `shortlink`, or `embedded`. > **Direct Links** > > Direct Links skip the landing page, leading directly to claim steps for a single reward brand or a choice of reward brands. > > Use the [`/direct_links`](https://giftbit.mintlify.site/api-reference/direct-link-orders/create-direct-link-order) endpoint to create direct link rewards. > **Shortlinks** > > Shortlinks lead to a landing page with a message then the claim steps for either a single reward brand or a choice of reward brands depending on your template. > > Use the [`/campaign`](https://giftbit.mintlify.site/api-reference/email-orders/create-order) endpoint along with the `delivery_type: SHORTLINK` property to create shortlink rewards. > **Embedded Rewards** > > Embedded Rewards skip both the landing page and the claim steps and lead to the gift code reveal step for a single reward brand. > > Use the [`/embedded`](https://giftbit.mintlify.site/api-reference/embedded-rewards/create-embedded-reward) endpoint to create an embedded reward. ### Delivery option 2: Giftbit delivers your reward by email Use the [`/campaign`](https://giftbit.mintlify.site/api-reference/email-orders/create-order) endpoint to request a reward be delivered to your recipient by email. Giftbit delivers your customized reward email to each recipient via an HTML email. You can send a predefined reward brand or a choice between reward brands. Each reward has a customizable claim period. Giftbit specializes in email deliverability and digital trust best practices. You can access records of bounces, spam complaints, and other deliverability issues to manage the quality of your recipient lists. Use the [`/campaign`](https://giftbit.mintlify.site/api-reference/email-orders/create-order) endpoint to send rewards by email. ## Deciding between customized list or full catalog rewards There are multiple ways to set the reward brand options in a call to `/campaign` or `/direct_links`, depending on whether your system sends a single reward brand or offers a choice. ### Your system hosts the choice step You can use the information available from the `/brands` endpoint to host the interactive reward brand choice step in your app or website. The `/brands` endpoint provides retail partner names, logos, and allowed price ranges for presenting a selection of reward brands. When your system places an order in reaction to a selection in your interactive choice step, your system will specify the `brand_code` and `price_in_cents` for the selected reward brand. If the request specifies a `gift_template`, the `brand_code` in the request will override the reward brand(s) in the template. ### Your system sends one brand or a customized list of brands If your integration always sends the same single reward brand, or a fixed list of reward brands, you can either preselect the reward brand(s) in the template using the web interface or specify one or multiple `brand_codes` and a `price_in_cents` in the request. If multiple `brand_codes` are specified, Giftbit provides a choice of reward brand options in the claim steps. This allows your integration to skip building an interactive choice step. ### Giftbit provides the choice step with all available options If you choose to offer the full selection of reward brands for a given region, instead of specifying a reward brand or list of brands on a request-by-request basis, you can request a Full Catalog reward by omitting the `brand_code` and instead specifying the `region` and `price_in_cents` in the request. If you specify a `gift_template` in the request, you can set the region in your template and select the Full Catalog format using the web interface. ## Deciding between expiring and non-expiring rewards ### Standard Rewards Standard rewards have an unlimited claim period. You can place an order for a Standard Reward by omitting the expiry from the request, or by toggling the format to Standard in the `gift_template` using the web interface. ### Promotional rewards By providing an expiry date in your API call to the `/campaign` or `/direct_links` endpoint, you can limit the period in which your recipients may claim their reward. This claim period can also be set on a `gift_template` in the web interface by marking a template as promotional and setting a number of days the reward is eligible to be claimed. Any rewards ordered using a `gift_template` flagged as promotional automatically set the calculated expiry date. ## Retrieving reward brand information Using the [`/brands`](https://giftbit.mintlify.site/api-reference/brands/list-brands) endpoint, you can access the list of reward brands available from Giftbit and detailed information about each brand, including the `brand_code` and an allowed price to include in your API calls to `/campaign`, `/direct_links`, or `/embedded`. A limited number of reward brands are available for testing purposes in Testbed. The complete list of production reward brands is at [giftbit.com/brands](https://www.giftbit.com/brands/). ## Using templates with email and shortlink rewards Templates allow rewards with custom messaging and branding to be richly formatted, and provide a potential separation of responsibility between content creators and developers. The custom reward content — subject, the message with formatting and rich content, and company brand image is maintained through the web interface and WYSIWYG editor, without requiring any changes to the API calls themselves when the content changes. To get started with templates, navigate to the templates section of your Giftbit account. Each template is auto-assigned a unique uppercase short identifier shown in the web interface. This is the id you'll use in the `gift_template` field of the `/campaign` creation request. > [!NOTE] > > If you provide a template, you must omit the `message` and `subject` in the request — unless you want to override the template content in that particular request. While we highly recommend using templates, it is not mandatory. You may specify the `subject` and `message` for your rewards via the `/campaign` creation request. > [!NOTE] > > For shortlinks, the `subject` field is not leveraged; however, we still recommend setting it in the template. This allows the template to be used with both email delivery and shortlinks. ## Reward information and management While not required for your integration, the [`/gifts`](https://giftbit.mintlify.site/api-reference/rewards/list-rewards) endpoint retrieves detailed information and status for the rewards you've previously ordered through the `/campaign`, `/direct_links`, or `/embedded` endpoints. The `/gifts` endpoint also allows your system to perform lifecycle and delivery-type-dependent actions, such as triggering another email delivery attempt for rewards delivered by Giftbit. > [!NOTE] > > Please use the `/gifts` endpoint responsibly by following these guidelines: > > This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.