4.2 KiB
Zappier — Step-by-Step Usage Walkthrough
Version: 0.1.0 · Last updated: 2026-07-27
A full guided tour: from starting the server to pricing changes, customer creation, and live API calls. Every step shows the real screen you should see. Companion documents: USER-MANUAL.md · DEVELOPER.md.
Step 1 — Start the server
cd /Users/marchon/zappier
npm install # first time only
npm run dev
Wait for the two "listening" lines:
Step 2 — Open the admin UI and sign in
Go to http://localhost:3000/admin. You'll see the sign-in screen:
Two accounts are available:
| Username | Password | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
admin |
the ADMIN_KEY env value (default admin-dev-key) |
Primary operator |
demo |
$$$Adm1n### |
Demo / stakeholder access |
Override either credential with the
ADMIN_USER,ADMIN_KEY,DEMO_ADMIN_USER, andDEMO_ADMIN_PASSWORDenvironment variables.
Step 3 — The rate card
After sign-in you land on the Rate card — one row per API endpoint with its price in cents:
status,storage-list— freetransform— fixed price per callstorage— variable: base + per-KB metadata + per-MB attachments
Step 4 — Change a price
Edit any cent field — here transform is changed from 4¢ to 6¢ — and click
Save. The change is live on the very next API call; no restart, no deploy.
After saving, the table re-reads from the server and shows the new value:
Step 5 — Customer types
Click Customer types in the sidebar. Each type is a pricing tier: a multiplier applied to every list price and a monthly credit of free included usage (cents).
Step 6 — Add a customer type
Fill the Add customer type form — here edu / Education / ×0.6 — and click
Add. The new type appears immediately and can be assigned to customers.
New types start with 0 monthly credit — edit the row and Save to grant one.
Step 7 — Customers
Click Customers in the sidebar. This is where accounts live: their type, and an optional multiplier override for per-customer deals (blank = inherit from type).
Step 8 — Create a customer and copy the API key
Enter a name, pick a type, click Create. The API key appears once in the notification at the bottom-right — copy it and send it to the customer; it is never shown again.
The new customer appears in the table right away:
Step 9 — Explore the interactive API docs
Open http://localhost:3000/docs — full Swagger docs with a "Try it out" console. Click Authorize and paste a customer API key to make live calls from the browser.
Step 10 — Make an API call
Call the API with a customer key. Every priced response includes its quote, so the cost of every call is transparent:
Note how the quote reflects the walkthrough itself: the 6¢ price set in step 4, halved to 3¢ by Grace's Pro multiplier.
Step 11 — Check usage and credits
Customers can check their own month-to-date usage anytime:
includedCents is covered by the type's monthly credit; billableCents is
what the daily billing job would report to Stripe right now.
Where to go next
- Daily billing runs automatically at 06:17 ET — see USER-MANUAL.md §6 for the Stripe meter/product/price setup and how to verify a run.
- Troubleshooting: USER-MANUAL.md §9.
- Internals: DEVELOPER.md.












