Testing the Integration

Before You Start

You should have:

API access enabled for your company.
A sandbox API key from the Developer Portal.
The sandbox base URL:

https://node.friday-staging.com/partner/v1

If you have not generated an API key yet, start with the Getting API Access guide.

Use the API Reference

The API Reference is the best place to inspect endpoint parameters, request bodies, response schemas, and error responses while you are building.

Use it alongside the guides when you need field-level details or want to confirm the exact contract for an endpoint.

Open API Reference

Use the Postman Collection

If you prefer to test requests in Postman, open the Developer Portal and download the Friday API collection from there. The collection includes the available endpoints, example requests, and variables for the sandbox base URL.

Open the Developer Portal

After importing the collection:

Set the base URL to the sandbox URL.
Set your API key as the X-API-Key header.
Send a simple request, such as GET /companies, to confirm authentication works.

Suggested Testing Flow

Start in the API Reference to understand the endpoint contract and required fields.
Import the Postman collection when you are ready to send sample requests.
Set your API key in the collection variables or request headers as X-API-Key.
Use the sandbox base URL while building and testing your integration.
Test the smallest successful flow first, then add edge cases and error handling.

For example:

Integration area	Good first test
Company data	`GET /companies`
Employees	`GET /employees`
Time tracking	`POST /time-records/clock-in`, then `POST /time-records/clock-out`
Payroll	`GET /payrolls/period-options`
Webhooks	Register an endpoint and trigger a simple test event from sandbox

What to Validate

As you test, confirm that your integration handles:

Successful responses and the exact response fields your app depends on.
400 validation errors for missing or invalid inputs.
401 authentication errors for missing or invalid API keys.
403 plan access errors when a company plan does not include a resource.
404 not found responses for IDs outside the company linked to your API key.
429 rate limit responses if you make too many requests in a short window.

Common Pitfalls

Using a production key in sandbox — Sandbox and production keys are separate. Use a sandbox key with the sandbox base URL.
Forgetting the X-API-Key header — Every Friday API request needs the API key header.
Copying examples without checking required fields — Use the API Reference to confirm required fields for your specific endpoint.
Testing only happy paths — Make sure your integration handles validation errors, not found responses, and rate limits.

What's Next

Getting API Access — Generate and manage API keys.
Timetracking — Test clock-in, clock-out, breaks, switches, and reports.
Processing Payroll — Test the payroll flow from period selection through approval.
Subscribing to Webhooks — Test event delivery, signatures, and retries.