ZeroCarbon API - 5 Minute Quickstart

Get your first carbon footprint calculation in under 5 minutes. No signup required for testing.

🚀 One-Line Demos

Option 1: Node.js (Fastest)

npx zerocarbon-quickstart

Option 2: Python

pip install zerocarbon && python -m zerocarbon.quickstart

Option 3: cURL (Zero Installation)

curl -X POST https://api.zerocarbon.codes/v1/emissions/calculate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"source":"electricity","value":1000,"unit":"kWh","country":"US"}'

🎮 Interactive Demos

Try on Replit

Try on CodeSandbox

📖 5-Minute Tutorial

Step 1: Calculate Emissions (No Auth Needed)

Node.js

const axios = require('axios');

const response = await axios.post('https://api.zerocarbon.codes/v1/emissions/calculate', {
  source: 'electricity',
  value: 1000,
  unit: 'kWh',
  country: 'US'
});

console.log(`Your emissions: ${response.data.emissions_kg_co2e} kg CO2e`);
// Output: Your emissions: 386.5 kg CO2e

Python

import requests

response = requests.post('https://api.zerocarbon.codes/v1/emissions/calculate', 
    json={
        'source': 'electricity',
        'value': 1000,
        'unit': 'kWh',
        'country': 'US'
    }
)

print(f"Your emissions: {response.json()['emissions_kg_co2e']} kg CO2e")
# Output: Your emissions: 386.5 kg CO2e

Step 2: Calculate Real-World Scenarios

Flight Emissions

curl -X POST https://api.zerocarbon.codes/v1/calculate/flight \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "from": "SFO",
    "to": "JFK",
    "passengers": 1,
    "class": "economy"
  }'

Vehicle Emissions

const emissions = await fetch('https://api.zerocarbon.codes/v1/calculate/fuel', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    fuel_type: 'gasoline',
    distance: 100,
    unit: 'miles'
  })
});

Step 3: Get Free API Key (30 seconds)

For persistent tracking and dashboard access:

# Sign up via API (no email verification needed)
curl -X POST https://api.zerocarbon.codes/v1/demo-request \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Your Name",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "company": "Your Company"
  }'

# Instant API key in response:
# { "api_key": "zc_xxxxx", "dashboard_url": "https://app.zerocarbon.codes" }

🏗️ Complete Example Apps

Express.js Server (3 minutes)

git clone https://github.com/zerocarbon/examples
cd examples/nodejs-express
npm install && npm start

Flask API (3 minutes)

git clone https://github.com/zerocarbon/examples
cd examples/python-flask
pip install -r requirements.txt && python app.py

Next.js Dashboard (5 minutes)

git clone https://github.com/zerocarbon/examples
cd examples/nextjs-dashboard
npm install && npm run dev

🎯 Common Use Cases

Scenario 1: E-commerce Carbon Labels

// Add carbon footprint to product pages
const getShippingEmissions = async (weight, distance) => {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.zerocarbon.codes/v1/calculate/shipping', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: JSON.stringify({ weight_kg: weight, distance_km: distance })
  });
  return res.json();
};

// Display: "This shipment produces 2.3 kg CO2e"

Scenario 2: SaaS Carbon Dashboard

// Track your infrastructure emissions
const trackCloudEmissions = async () => {
  const emissions = await zerocarbon.calculate({
    source: 'aws_compute',
    instance_hours: 730,
    region: 'us-east-1'
  });
  
  await zerocarbon.emissions.save({
    category: 'cloud_infrastructure',
    value: emissions.kg_co2e
  });
};

Scenario 3: Travel Booking Carbon Offset

// Offer carbon offsets at checkout
const flight = await zerocarbon.calculate.flight({
  from: 'LAX',
  to: 'LHR',
  passengers: 2
});

const offsetCost = flight.emissions_kg_co2e * 0.015; // $15 per tonne
// Show: "Add carbon offset for $22.50?"

📊 What You Get

• Instant calculations - No rate limits for testing
• 200+ emission factors - Electricity, fuel, flights, shipping, etc.
• Global coverage - Country-specific emission factors
• GHG Protocol compliant - Scope 1, 2, 3 classifications
• Auto-generated reports - BRSR, SEC, TCFD, CDP formats

💡 Why Developers Love It

✅ No authentication for quick testing
✅ RESTful API with predictable endpoints
✅ JSON in, JSON out - No XML, no SOAP
✅ Native SDKs for Node.js, Python, Go, Ruby
✅ Webhook support for async calculations
✅ OpenAPI spec for auto-generating clients

🔗 Next Steps

• Full API Documentation
• Interactive API Explorer
• Example Applications
• Get Production API Key

💬 Questions?

• Discord: discord.gg/zerocarbon
• Email: [email protected]
• Docs: docs.zerocarbon.codes

Try it now: npx zerocarbon-quickstart