What Problem This Solves

You've signed up for Intrinio and want to pull your first data point as fast as possible. 

This guide walks you from zero — API key in hand — to a working API call that fetches a company profile, historical prices, and a live quote in under 5 minutes.

Quick Note: REST API vs WebSocket

For getting started, we’re going to use the REST API. It's stateless, easy to debug, and works with any HTTP client. Switch to WebSocket only when you need a continuous, low-latency stream. Check out our guide on How to Stream Real-Time Prices with WebSockets for more information.

Step 1: Sign up for the Right Intrinio Package

Choose between the Individual, Startup, or Enterprise Package.

For more information, see our guide on How to Choose the Right Intrinio Package.

Step 2: Get Your API Key

Once your package has been activated, you'll be taken to your Intrinio Account page. 

This is your central hub for API credentials, Subscription management, Documentation, upgrades, and Usage monitoring.

1. Log in at account.intrinio.com
2. Navigate to the Access tab
3. Copy your Web API Key — treat it like a password; never commit it to source control or expose it publicly

Step 3: The basics

Base URL: https://api-v2.intrinio.com

Auth: add ?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY to the end of any URL

Format: all responses come back as JSON.

Replace YOUR_API_KEY in the examples below with your real key.

Step 4: Get company info

Look up a company by ticker:

https://api-v2.intrinio.com/companies/AAPL?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

This returns the company profile — name, CIK, sector, industry, headquarters, employee count, and description. Sample output:

{

  "id": "com_NX6GzO",

  "ticker": "AAPL",

  "name": "Apple Inc",

  "lei": "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394",

  "cik": "0000320193",

  "latest_filing_date": "2026-02-01",

  "hq_address1": "One Apple Park Way",

  "hq_city": "Cupertino",

  "hq_state": "CALIFORNIA",

  "business_country": "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA",

  "sic": "3571",

  "sector": "Technology",

  "industry_category": "Computer Hardware",

  "industry_group": "Consumer Electronics",

  "employees": 164000,

  "short_description": "Apple designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones and accessories worldwide.",

  "company_url": "https://www.apple.com"

}

Step 5: Get stock prices

Latest end-of-day prices for a security:

https://api-v2.intrinio.com/securities/AAPL/prices?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

Narrow it to a date range with start_date and end_date:

https://api-v2.intrinio.com/securities/AAPL/prices?start_date=2026-01-01&end_date=2026-03-31&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

Omit end_date to pull everything from start_date to the most recent available day. Sample output:

{

  "prices": [

    {

      "date": "2026-03-31",

      "intraperiod": false,

      "frequency": "daily",

      "open": 241.79,

      "high": 243.16,

      "low": 239.20,

      "close": 242.84,

      "volume": 48213500,

      "adj_open": 241.79,

      "adj_high": 243.16,

      "adj_low": 239.20,

      "adj_close": 242.84,

      "adj_volume": 48213500

    }

  ],

  "security": {

    "id": "sec_agz9Yj",

    "ticker": "AAPL",

    "exchange_ticker": "AAPL:UW",

    "name": "Apple Inc"

  },

  "next_page": "Mg=="

}

Notes

1. Results are paged — the default page size is 100. Use the next_page token from the response to fetch more.
2. A 429 response means you’ve hit a rate limit; slow down and retry.

Next step

Once you’re comfortable, move to a server-side SDK for real work. The Ruby SDK wraps these same endpoints, and header auth (Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY) keeps your key out of URLs. Check out our SDKs in our documentation.

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Step 6: Explore Your Available Endpoints

Company info and stock prices are just the tip of the iceberg. The easiest way to see what your account supports is through the Subscriptions page in your Intrinio account.

Each subscription contains documentation links showing available endpoints and examples.

This is the most reliable way to see exactly what your account has access to.

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Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting

Using the Wrong API Key

Verify you're using the API key associated with your active account.

Missing Authentication

Every request requires authentication.

Assuming All Endpoints Are Available

Access depends on your package and enabled subscriptions.

Forgetting Pagination

Many endpoints return paginated results.

Always inspect:

{

  "next_page":"..."

}

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Error

Cause

Fix

401 Unauthorized

API key missing or invalid

Check INTRINIO_API_KEY env var; confirm key on account page

403 Forbidden

Not subscribed to this dataset

Log in → Account Page, Upgrade or Request a Consultation

404 Not Found

Ticker doesn't exist or is delisted

Use search_companies() to find the correct identifier

429 Too Many Requests

Rate limit exceeded

allow_retries(True) handles this; for bulk work add time.sleep(0.1) between calls

source param ignored

Wrong source string

Valid values: "iex", "delayed_sip", "nasdaq_basic", "cboe_one", "equities_edge"

Empty stock_prices list

Date range has no trading days

Verify dates are weekdays and within your subscription's history window

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Performance & Scaling Tips

• Page size: Default is 100 records. Pass page_size=10000 for bulk pulls (counts against a slower rate limit; 1 request/second on paid plans).
• Pagination: Always check response.next_page — None means you have all records.
• Retries: allow_retries(True) gives you 5 automatic retries with exponential backoff. This is on by default for production use.
• Identifiers: AAPL, FIGI (BBG000B9XRY4), ISIN (US0378331005), CUSIP (037833100), and Intrinio ID (sec_agjrgj) are all valid. Use FIGI or Intrinio ID when a ticker is ambiguous.
• Cache Static Data: Company metadata changes infrequently.
  
  • Cache:
    
    • Company profiles 
    • Sector information 
    • Security master data 
• Batch Requests: When possible, retrieve larger datasets in fewer requests.
• Use WebSockets for Streaming: If data updates continuously, WebSockets are usually more efficient than polling.

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