> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api-docs.trypila.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Pila is the payments, wallet and card-issuing API for Nigerian businesses. Create NUBAN wallets, move money to any bank, and issue virtual USD cards from one integration.

Pila helps you collect and disburse money without building banking infrastructure yourself. One set of credentials gives you dedicated Nigerian account numbers, bank transfers, virtual dollar cards and a handful of lookup services.

Every endpoint behaves the same way in sandbox and live — the only thing that changes is the base URL and the key you send.

## What you can build

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Wallets" icon="wallet" href="/api-reference/wallets/create-wallet">
    Give each customer a dedicated NUBAN that credits their balance the moment money arrives.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payouts" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left" href="/api-reference/wallets/transfer-funds">
    Send funds from a wallet or your pool account to any Nigerian bank.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Virtual USD cards" icon="credit-card" href="/api-reference/cards/create-virtual-card">
    Issue, fund, freeze and terminate dollar cards, with full transaction history.
  </Card>

  <Card title="General services" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/api-reference/general-services/resolve-nuban">
    Resolve account names, fetch bank codes, check card BINs, and sell airtime or data.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How a Pila integration fits together

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an app">
    An app gives you an `AppId` and a pair of keys. You need both on every request. See [Create an app](/dashboard-guide/getting-started/create-an-app).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authenticate">
    Send your secret key in the `Authorization` header and your app's ID in the `AppId` header. See [Authentication](/api-reference/get-started/authentication).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build in sandbox">
    Point at `https://sandbox.trypila.co` while you develop. See [Environments](/api-reference/get-started/environments).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Subscribe to webhooks">
    Money movement is asynchronous. Webhooks tell you when a deposit lands or a card is charged. See [Subscribe to webhooks](/api-reference/webhooks/subscribe).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go live">
    Once your account is verified, swap the base URL to `https://api.trypila.co` and use your live key. Nothing else changes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Before you start

<Info>
  Every request must be made over HTTPS, and you must have created an app before any call will succeed.
</Info>

<Warning>
  **Never expose your secret key.** Keep it in an environment variable or a secrets manager — never in client-side code, a repository, or a screenshot. If a key leaks, regenerate it from the dashboard immediately.
</Warning>

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="bolt" href="/api-reference/get-started/quickstart">
    Create a wallet and send your first transfer in four calls.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Response format" icon="brackets-curly" href="/api-reference/core-concepts/response-format">
    The envelope every Pila endpoint returns.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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