Quickstart

Use this guide to install an SDK, send your first request, and inspect the result in a few minutes.

Before You Begin

You will need:

• an API key stored in ABSTIME_API_KEY
• a Python or Node.js environment that can call the AbsTime API

For production use, keep your API key on the server side. Do not expose private credentials in browser code.

1. Create an API key

Create an account or sign in in the Console.

Generate an API key in the console, then store it in an environment variable named ABSTIME_API_KEY.

macOS/Linux

export ABSTIME_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

PowerShell

$env:ABSTIME_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

2. Install the SDK

For the main integration path, install the official SDK for your language before copying the first request example.

Python

pip install abstime

Python SDK requirements: Python 3.9+

JavaScript

npm install @abstime/sdk

Node.js SDK requirements: Node.js 18+

3. Send your first request

For most teams, the fastest way to start is with an official SDK.

These examples send a natural-language time expression, an explicit reference time, and a target timezone.

Python

import os

from abstime import AbsTime

client = AbsTime(api_key=os.environ["ABSTIME_API_KEY"])

result = client.resolve(
    text="the last Friday of this month at 2 pm",
    ref_time="2026-04-09T17:30:00Z",
    ref_timezone="America/Los_Angeles",
)

print(result.time)
print(result.view)

JavaScript

import { AbsTime } from "@abstime/sdk";

const client = new AbsTime({ apiKey: process.env.ABSTIME_API_KEY });

const result = await client.resolve({
  text: "the last Friday of this month at 2 pm",
  refTime: "2026-04-09T17:30:00Z",
  refTimezone: "America/Los_Angeles",
});

console.log(result.time);
console.log(result.view);

cURL

curl --request POST "https://api.abstime.ai/v1/resolve" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $ABSTIME_API_KEY" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "text": "the last Friday of this month at 2 pm",
    "ref_time": "2026-04-09T17:30:00Z",
    "ref_timezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
  }'

Use cURL when you want to test the raw API contract directly without an SDK.

Example request body

Field	Type	Description
text	string	The extracted natural-language time expression to resolve.
ref_time	string	An RFC3339 UTC anchor used to interpret relative phrases.
ref_timezone	string	The IANA timezone that should be used during resolution.

4. Inspect the response

A successful response returns a normalized representation of the resolved time.

{
  "status": "resolved",
  "time": "2026-04-24T21:00:00Z",
  "view": "Apr 24, 2026 2 PM",
  "confidence": "C0",
  "context": {
    "text": "the last Friday of this month at 2 pm",
    "ref_time": "2026-04-09T17:30:00Z",
    "ref_timezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
  }
}

Example response fields

Field	Meaning
status	The top-level result state, such as resolved.
time	The final resolved datetime in ISO 8601 UTC format.
view	A human-readable display string derived from the result.
confidence	The interpretation confidence level returned by the API.
context	The normalized request context used during resolution.

5. Run the request in your preferred language

Use the language tabs above to switch between Python, JavaScript, and cURL while keeping the same request contract in view.

6. Recommended integration pattern

For most teams, the first integration looks like this:

1. collect or extract a time expression from the user or workflow
2. send the expression to AbsTime from your backend using an official SDK
3. store the returned normalized datetime
4. pass the resolved value to the rest of your application

If you are building AI features, let the model identify the phrase and let the SDK send the final resolution request to AbsTime.

7. Common mistakes

• sending requests directly from untrusted client-side code
• sending full user sentences instead of extracted time expressions
• copying SDK examples before installing the package
• omitting ref_time for relative phrases such as tomorrow morning
• relying on server local time instead of passing an explicit ref_timezone
• treating view as a storage value instead of using time

8. What to read next

• Node.js SDK
• Python SDK
• Input
• Output
• Handling Errors

9. Next steps for production

Once your first request works, the next production tasks are:

• standardize on the Python or Node.js SDK across your services
• define how your application handles ambiguous or partial inputs
• add test cases for timezone boundaries and daylight saving transitions
• standardize how ref_time is supplied across services

This quickstart is the shortest path from zero to a working AbsTime request.