> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.thehaystack.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> Build powerful content discovery experiences with semantic search and intelligent media management

## What is Haystack?

Haystack is a content management and discovery platform that helps organizations make their media libraries searchable, discoverable, and engaging. With powerful semantic search, automatic transcription, and intelligent content organization, Haystack turns your video and audio content into a searchable knowledge base.

## Key Features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Semantic Search" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/concepts/search-discovery">
    Natural language search across your entire content library with AI-powered relevance ranking
  </Card>

  <Card title="Content Management" icon="folder-tree" href="/concepts/content-model">
    Organize content with items, series, collections, and topics
  </Card>

  <Card title="Media Processing" icon="video" href="/concepts/media-management">
    Automatic transcription, chapter detection, and multi-format video delivery
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Get Started

Ready to integrate Haystack into your application? Follow our quickstart guide to make your first API call.

<Card title="Quickstart Guide" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart" horizontal>
  Get up and running in 5 minutes with our step-by-step tutorial
</Card>

## Core Workflows

<Steps>
  <Step title="Authenticate">
    Obtain API credentials and authenticate your requests with Bearer tokens
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload Content">
    Create items, upload media assets, and organize them into series and collections
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Search">
    Process content for search indexing and implement search in your application
  </Step>

  <Step title="Track Analytics">
    Monitor user engagement and search quality to optimize content discovery
  </Step>
</Steps>

## API Architecture

The Haystack API is organized around REST principles with:

* **Base URL**: `https://api.thehaystack.ai/v2/haystack`
* **Authentication**: Bearer token authentication
* **Format**: JSON request and response bodies
* **Versioning**: API version included in URL path

## Explore the API

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    Complete endpoint documentation with request/response schemas
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Learn how to authenticate and secure your API requests
  </Card>

  <Card title="Content Management Guide" icon="book" href="/guides/managing-content">
    Step-by-step guide to creating and organizing content
  </Card>
</CardGroup>