---
title: Start Collection
slug: backyardapi/collections-api/collections/start
docTags: 
createdAt: 2024-07-23T14:57:52.062Z
---

# Start Collection

Collections can be started by making an `HTTP GET` request to the `/collections/COLLECTION_ID/start` endpoint (where `COLLECTION_ID` is the `id` of the Collection). You must have sufficient request credits available on your account for the number of requests in the Collection.

You would typically start Collections that are set to  `schedule_type=manual` but you can start a Collection with any `schedule_type` , just as long as it isn't currently running.

***

### Example

<font color="#52c41a">`GET`</font>  `/collections/COLLECTION_ID/start`

In the example below we start a Collection with `id=123456` :

:::CodeblockTabs
HTTP

```HTTP
https://api.backyardapi.com/collections/123456/start?api_key=demo
```

```curl
$ curl "https://api.backyardapi.com/collections/123456/start?api_key=demo"
```

```nodejs
const axios = require('axios');
const params = {
  api_key: 'demo'
}

axios.get('https://api.backyardapi.com/collections/123456/start', { params })
  .then(response => {
    const apiResponse = response.data;

    console.log('Collection started.');

  }).catch(error => {
    console.log(error);
  });
```

```python
import requests

params = {
  'api_key': 'demo'
}

api_result = requests.get('https://api.backyardapi.com/collections/123456/start', params)

api_response = api_result.json()

print "Collection started."
```

```php
<?php
      
$queryString = http_build_query([
  'api_key' => 'demo',
]);

$ch = curl_init(sprintf('%s?%s', 'https://api.backyardapi.com/collections/123456/start', $queryString));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
# the following options are required if you're using an outdated OpenSSL version
# more details: https://www.openssl.org/blog/blog/2021/09/13/LetsEncryptRootCertExpire/
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, false);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, false);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 180);

$json = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

$api_result = json_decode($json, true);

print_r($api_result);

echo "Collection started.", PHP_EOL;

?>
```
:::

Backyard API responds with a JSON object confirming that the Collection has been started, or detailing the error if it has not been possible to start the Collection (i.e. there are insufficient request credits available on your account).

***

**Next Steps**
     [Get Collections](https://docs.trajectdata.com/backyardapi/collections-api/collections/get)
     [List Collections](https://docs.trajectdata.com/backyardapi/collections-api/collections/list)