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

# Introduction

> What Bluum does, how the API is shaped, and the path to your first trade.

Bluum Finance is investment infrastructure for fintechs. You build the user experience; Bluum provides the rails — investor onboarding, identity verification, custodian-routed trading, wallet management, funding, and regulatory compliance — behind a single REST API.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/bluumfinance/L5Dm3BN-WAZqlyQf/images/diagrams/architecture.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=L5Dm3BN-WAZqlyQf&q=85&s=6953034281e22c5756005cc3e2d4435c" alt="Your app calls the Bluum API, which orchestrates custodians, banks, and KYC providers" width="1200" height="560" data-path="images/diagrams/architecture.svg" />
</Frame>

Your backend makes REST calls to `/v1/*`. Bluum orchestrates the downstream work and returns clean, normalized responses. Webhooks notify you when asynchronous work finishes (order fills, deposit arrivals, KYC decisions).

## The path from here

This guide is a straight line. Read it top to bottom and you'll go from zero to a funded investor placing live trades in the sandbox — without jumping between sections.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="How the API works" icon="book" href="/get-started/how-the-api-works">
    Auth, environments, rate limits, idempotency, pagination, errors.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a sandbox account" icon="key" href="/get-started/sandbox">
    Get API credentials in a few minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build your integration" icon="rocket" href="/get-started/journey/overview">
    The end-to-end flow: investor → fund → trade → withdraw.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Core objects

The building blocks you'll work with:

| Object                   | What it represents                                                                                        |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Investor**             | One end user's investing account. Holds identity, contact, disclosures, and agreements. ID prefix `inv_`. |
| **Wallet**               | The cash balance for an investor. Receives deposits, funds trades, disburses withdrawals.                 |
| **Funding source**       | A linked bank account (via Plaid) used for ACH deposits and withdrawals. ID prefix `fs_`.                 |
| **Deposit / Withdrawal** | A money movement into or out of a wallet. ID prefixes `dep_` / `wd_`.                                     |
| **Order**                | A buy or sell instruction — market, limit, stop, or trailing stop. ID prefix `ord_`.                      |
| **Position**             | A holding in one asset — quantity, cost basis, market value, and P\&L. ID prefix `pos_`.                  |
| **Document**             | An uploaded file (KYC and more), owned by a tenant, investor, or user. ID prefix `doc_`.                  |
| **Webhook**              | A registered URL that receives event notifications. ID prefix `wh_`.                                      |

## Two ways to embed investing

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Self-directed investing" icon="chart-line">
    Your users decide what to buy and sell. `management_type: "self_directed"`. This guide covers it end to end.

    **Best for:** trading apps, invest tabs, stock gifting, round-ups.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Wealth management" icon="chart-pie" href="/wealth">
    Bluum's engine manages portfolios on behalf of your users — planning, risk, auto-invest. An add-on product enabled per tenant.

    **Best for:** robo-advisors, planner apps, employee benefits. [Book a demo](/wealth).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Both share the same foundation: investors, compliance, wallets, funding, and market data.

## Environments

| Environment    | Base URL                                  | Purpose                                                       |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Sandbox**    | `https://sandbox.api.bluumfinance.com/v1` | Development and testing. Simulated fills. No approval needed. |
| **Production** | `https://api.bluumfinance.com/v1`         | Live money and securities. Requires compliance approval.      |

Start in sandbox. Next: [How the API works](/get-started/how-the-api-works).